Reflections
by Eel1
Summary: All is as usual in the World of Men, the Gundam Pilots are planning out their next steps in their war...when all plans are torn apart by a gaggle of demonesses. Another world, it seems, is in need of the Aid of The Gundam Pilots. Please Read and Reveiw.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Gundam Wing. In fact, I don't even own the computer I'm typing this on!!!!! So don't sue me 'cuz the cost of a lawyer is much more than I have!  
  
Rating: PG-13 There's some violence n-stuff and some swearing....no worse than the uncut stuff they showed on Cartoon Network.  
  
Author's Note: 'Kay this is my first fic so I'd love to have your opinion of it, good or bad and please be honest! I won't be mad!! Just please please PLEASE don't flame me and/or rip off my work! Or I will sick chibi Trowa after you ///^.^! Anyhoo the idea for this fic came from me being completely obsessed with GW and reading way too many Fantasy novels!!! I hope you enjoy my first attempt at fan fiction!  
  
Dedication: Duo this one is for you!  
  
Warning: Language? I dunno. PG-13 I guess! No worse than the uncut stuff they showed on Cartoon Network!  
  
Reflections  
  
Chapter one: It Starts  
  
  
  
"You take one down pass it around, 42 bottles of beer on the wall! 41 bottles of beer on the wall, 41 bottles of * BLAM!*" Duo's serenade was cut short by a sudden gunshot and he looked up to see yet another Yuy death glare. "Oh! Hi Heero!" The braided boy said somewhat nervously, "What's up?" Yuy simply glared at him and then walked away. "Well that was weird.... Oh well. 40 Bottles of beer on the wall forty bottles of beer...." Duo, having nothing else to do just kept on singing. After he got down to thirty Wufei began to pointedly clean his sword while looking thoughtfully at Duo. "Hey Wu-Man whacha thinking 'bout? Looks serious." "Well, if you really must know," no hint of emotion crossed the Chinese boy's face as he continued, "I was contemplating how to get you to shut up. So, should I cut of your whole head or just your hair?" A demonic look had started to form on Wufei's usually elegant face and things were about to get quite ugly when Quatre and Trowa finally walked in together. "Sorry we're late! We had to go through a lot of traffic on the way here. Trowa's car broke down and blocked traffic and-" Quatre was cut off in the middle of his cheerful greeting by the stern looks of all but Duo who was looking just as jovial as ever. "So Duo why did you call us here?" Trowa asked breaking the silence (AN: wow! That's a shocker isn't it? ///^.^! ). After he got a few strange looks from the rest of the G-boys he asked, "What?" "Trowa, you called me." Heero stated indifferently, "I was wondering why before you showed up." "No, that isn't right!" Duo put in, "Heero called me! I thought it was a little strange but this is just plain nuts!" "No Duo!" Quatre shook his head, "Wufei called this meeting, remember?" "I did no such thing!" Wufei crossed his arms, "As a matter of fact, you called me Quatre." After a few more arguments and a bit of conversation they all came to the conclusion that someone must have impersonated each one of them in turn and told them all to come here. The pilots waited for a while and after about an hour of waiting and quite a few death threats in Duo's direction (he started singing again) they decided to leave. "Hey I've got an idea!" Quatre said exuberantly, "We shouldn't split up if somebody's after us so let's all go to my place." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Later that night at Quatre's mansion the G-Boys had just finished dinner and were each wondering what they were going to do with the rest of their evening. Trowa had resolved to go for a walk in the greenhouse since he had nothing better to do but Quatre however had had a long day and decided to go to bed. Heero went to go train for a while and Duo wanted to go swim in the nearby indoor pool. Wufei proceeded to meditate in the summer storm that was raging outside, in hopes of figuring out just who this mysterious person was and what they wanted with the pilots.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
^I wonder what Cathy is doing? ^Wondered Trowa as he walked along the path that wound through a plethora of rare and exotic plants, ^She would love it here. All of these bright flowers make it quite a cheery place. ^ He sighed. Trowa knew that a guy like him could never fit into such a jovial scene. His heart, though loving, was filled with lots of old and new pain. Not that he let it show, in fact he couldn't. He had been hiding his feelings for so long that it was second nature. ^Ironic, ^ he mused, ^I'm a depressed clown pilot. I wonder-^ Trowa's thoughts were cut off by a loud crash and a chibi giggle. "Who's there?" Trowa called in the general direction of the sound. It couldn't be any of the G-Boys because the voice was most definitely feminine and Quatre didn't have any female servants and none of his sisters was expected for a visit anytime soon. He drew his gun and said again "Who's there? Show yourself. I have a g-" Trowa cut off and his gun slipped from nerveless fingers as he saw a small girl pop out of nowhere right in front of him. Except it wasn't a girl.... or was it? She was short and small but she had the face and figure of a woman in her twenties.sort of. But her skin was wrong.... it was as if she was made of the soil around him and her hair was made of tree branches! She giggled, picked his gun up off the floor and before Trowa's eyes it disappeared in a puff of dust. Giggling again she stated cutely "You shouldn't carry those. Somebody could get hurt." The girl studied him closely and said "You know, you're kinda cute! *giggle* AND you take a really long time to answer your phone! That snapped Trowa out of his daze "So it was you. Who are you? What do you want with us?" he growled. "*Giggle* I just want you! My sisters are the ones who want your friends. *Giggle* My name's Amber and I want to take you home with me cuz' you're soooooo gorgeous! *Giggle*" the little creature reached into her pouch and threw a handful of sand into the unibang's face. As if under a spell he collapsed to the floor, fast asleep. Amber picked up the slumbering pilot and carried him though one of the standing garden mirrors giggling all the way. ~*~*~*~*  
  
Quatre yawned as he hung up his wet towel and started to brush his teeth. ^Hmm,^ he thought ^I know there's something wrong..I can feel it...and I don't think that it's the fact that I'm almost out of toothpaste. Something's really weird here.^ Suddenly he laughed aloud and muttered to himself around a mouth full of toothpaste "I've been reading waaaay too many of those Stephen King novels Duo is so fond of!" He rinsed and spat and turned on the water to clean everything up. ^All right, my teeth are done and now I have to dry my hair so I don't get a stiff neck. ^ He searched the myriad drawers until he found a hair dryer and as he began to dry his hair he thought to himself ^Trowa's been acting strange lately.... well stranger than usual. I wonder what's wrong.... maybe Cathy's sick or something.... I should ask him. ^ Stashing the hair dryer back in its drawer he turned toward the doorway when the sound of someone clearing their throat sent him spinning around again. A small woman stood there. She sure was strange though. she was paler than milk and her hair was lighter than Milliardo's. But her eyes were what upset Quatre the most....there were no irises, just pupil, and she was looking at him like a farmer does at a prize cow. "Well hello there handsome." She purred, "You're just as I thought you would be. Blond, muscular and *he he* innocent.... just the way I like 'em." "Um... Excuse me miss, not to be rude, but just what are you doing in my bathroom?" Quatre asked carefully, not wanting to tick off the little firecracker. "My name isn't miss it's Starbreeze and trust me honey, me in your bathroom is the least of your troubles. Now come along." Starbreeze waved her hands a startled Quatre discovered suddenly that his knees were going weak and his eyes were closing without permission. He wondered if he was dreaming already, as Starbreeze seemed to carry him through the mirror, then there was nothing but bright light and falling. ~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Heero finished his stretching and had begun to stand up when a loud "CANNONBALL!! WOOHOOO!" *splash* was heard from the next room. ^Duo, ^ Heero thought, ^I wonder if all of this is bothering him. Probably, but he isn't the type to show it. ^ Ignoring the American's distraction, he began his exercise. The focus of this practice was to put out all of the candles with his eyes closed (AN: sorry I don't know JACK about martial arts! Or at least not the technical stuff.muahahahaha! Anyhoo please don't be mad at me! But if you could fill me in on some of the mumbo jumbo I will be ecstatically grateful!). Skillfully he snuffed all of the candles with little effort. Opening his eyes he let out a small "Hn." of satisfaction. He was about to get out his matches to set up the next round when the candles suddenly lit and the light revealed a small woman who appeared to be batting her eyes flirtatiously at him. "Mmmm...Hey handsome...You look good enough to eat!" She murmured. Heero, who already had a girl in his life and a bad feeling about the strange one in front of him, said quietly, "Get out." The girl just kept giving him this look that made him feel like a side of beef. She had brilliant red and orange hair like that of the candles she had apparently lit. Her eyes were the same maniacal blue of the hottest tip of the flame. "Oooh," she batted her eyelashes again, "Do you say that to all the girls? Anyway, my name is Soulblaze, and you, my handsome friend are coming with me." She produced a mirror from nowhere as Heero ran for the door and the gun he had left behind it. He had a feeling that he would need it to vanquish whatever this Soulblaze was.he knew she was not human. But when he went to touch the door handle it was red hot. "K'so!" he swore and he turned to glare at the little woman-thing behind him. "Oh my!" she exclaimed, "You want me to kiss it and make it better. No? Oh okay then but I'm still taking you with me." The girl blew him a kiss and all Heero knew was dreams of mirrors and laughter. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Never one to miss an opportunity to go for a swim, Duo suited up and headed for the pool. ^Brr...looks cold^ he thought, ^I wonder who it was that made those calls. I know that we're soldiers and we probably have prices on our heads but this just doesn't seem like OZ's style. Maybe the guys were just playing a joke on me... What am I nuts?! I'm the one who plays jokes! Geez man, get a grip! ^ "Hmmm...Now where was I oh yeah! 25 bottles of beer on the wall 25 bottles of beer! You take one down..." Duo continued his tune from earlier in the day as he walked to the edge. Looking around to see if anyone was in soaking distance...nope too bad...and... "CANNON BALL!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" *SPLASH* Duo continued swimming, twisting and turning like only those truly at home in the water could. He surfaced and took a deep lungful of air looking around. ^Hmmm... ^He thought, ^.I wonder if Wu-man was really serious about attacking me earlier. Nah...he just wanted me to shut up...I'm not that bad of a singer am I? He probably just doesn't like the song...oh well^ .He sighed, ^It's really hard work keeping up a cheerful appearance. I'm just as weirded out as the rest of them are...Wu-man must be taking this hard if he's gonna go meditate in a STORM! If he doesn't get struck by lightning he'll catch a cold out in that rain, but there he goes...Man that guy really is superhuman. Weird little Chinese guy but ya' can't help it...he probably just can't stand not knowing the answer for once... ^ As Duo continued thinking he had climbed out of the water and was beginning to dry himself off. Swimming just wasn't as fun on your own. Suddenly he heard Heero swear from the next room and he decided to check on him to see what was wrong. But he was interrupted by the sound of a scream of an overexcited woman. Spinning he turned to see a small woman standing behind him. She was most definitely strange. Her hair and eyes were both a clear blue, her ears were seashell shaped and her skin had a bluish hue. "Oh my Gawd!!!!! You are soooooooooo KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!" The creature began to hyperventilate, "Oh WOW! *YEEK* Um. My name's Shellscream!" she continued on and on in a squeaky sort of voice which gave Duo an idea of just how she had gotten her name. "Hey kid...I don't know who you are or how you got in but there are definitely some people in this house that would be quite upset if they knew you were here...um and I think you should leave...now" Duo had the strange feeling that he really did not want to piss off this girl...She seemed to have much more power than she was letting on...he'd better off playing it smooth. "*squeak* I know you're just gonna LOVE staying with me!!! Hmmm...Now where can I find a mirror...oh yeah!" Shellscream winked at Duo one last time and pushed him into the pool. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
*CRASH* the lightning was getting closer to the rock Wufei was perched on but he paid no heed...He had something important to do. And he would be doing it except for one thing...It was all Maxwell's fault...as usual. That DAMN song! The Braided Baka had gone and gotten it stuck in his head, making it near impossible to concentrate. Wufei, after quite a bit of struggling, had at long last gotten rid of the song. ^Finally," he thought, "now where was I? ^ Wufei began to concentrate and was startled out of his meditation by a shout of "CANNONBALL!!!! WOOOOOOOOHOOOO!" Followed by a loud splash. Only after Wufei silently vowed that he would deal with Duo only after his current task was all over was he able to get to the level of meditation that he was seeking. ^Ancestors guide my spirit, ^ (AN: Yes I know it's weird but I also know nada, zip, zilch! About Chinese culture... Hmmm probably because I'm NOT Chinese....and the only clue I've got is from watching Mulan once and I really don't think a Disney movie is much of cultural insight...anyhoo if you could fill me in with the right way I would probably spaz out and thank you a zillion times and put you in dedications n stuff!!!!!!) Wufei saw a face in his mind's eye...She had yellow-white hair the exact color of lightning and her eyes were a pale wolfish gold. ^So she is who is seeking us...wait no...there's some different people by the other boys...There isn't anything I can do for them right now and they can take care of themselves. Right now I have to watch out for myself until I can inform the others. I don't need this on top of the war but I have no chance. I am destined to fight these demons...no...we all are. ^ Wufei brought himself back to reality and opened his eyes..."Hmph!" a snort came from behind him and, startled, Wufei fell off of his rock. Wheeling around to face the speaker he saw the little woman from his vision. "You don't even use real magic do you?" She scoffed, "What a weakling." "Just who are you to be calling me a weakling?" Wufei replied back. "I'm Skyjolt. and you are Wufei." She snickered, "The warrior who says he's strong but doesn't know the first thing about real magic...How weak...But my master wants me to take you with me so come along and I won't hurt you." "I do not like to fight women but you give me no choice. I have to stay and fight for justice. Just as my ancestors did against your kind." Wufei's eyes gleamed like opal, "If you want me to come with you onna, you're going to have to make me. Fight me demon and know justice!" Wufei advanced toward her until he saw the little creature laughing again and he looked down at his feet. They were rapidly sinking into the puddle of rainwater that had formed a natural mirror around his feet. With a cry of anguish the solitary dragon sank into the cold white light. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Author's Notes: Alright! That's the end of the first chapter!!!! Muahahahahaha! (Cue weird announcer Dude) Weird announcer dude: What will happen to our heroes next? What do these strange girls want and just who is their master? Will Duo ever get to finish his song? Find out in chapter two: Awakenings. And to any of you who are wondering there is no hinting or otherwise of Yaoi or shonen-ai in any of my fiction. Oh and if you have any problems with my fic please tell me--ya know like punctuations or stuff like that so I can fix it for ya! AN#2: Sooooo how'd you like it?!?! Please give me some feedback at hyeperbubchick@hotmail.com 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing Yada yada yada...wish I did...yada yada yada...enjoy.  
  
Author's note: Kay! Here's part two! Hopefully better than my first chapter!!!! (Constructive criticism or comments are great!!!!! But as you know those who flame me will know the wrath of Chibi-natashi! ///^.^! Jk! But still, please be nice!) It's a bit strange...Ok it's nuts but please bear with me!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!!  
  
Dedication: To all those who read my first chapter of my first fic and actually liked it enough to go to the next chapter! They love me! THEY REALLY LOVE ME! I'd like to thank all the little people who I stepped on to get here...just kidding! Anyhoo this is for you!  
  
Warning: There's a bit of gross stuff like blood and all that so if you are squeamish I'm really sorry but that's just how I write. This is probably going to be the most depressing part but it's not that bad and there is a reason for it!!! Please bear with me!!  
  
Reflections Chapter Two: Awakenings  
  
White light swirled around Trowa as he stood in a white room. He heard a voice...music...familiar somehow...Cathy? No...it was...different somehow...like a shadow of the past. He frowned. "Trowa, what's wrong?" He heard Catherine's voice and suddenly she came through the white mist. "You look troubled. Is something wrong?" "Where are we?" Trowa asked...something was not right here. "Why," She looked stunned, "We've always been here...Together as brother and sister. Are you sure you're all right?" "No..." Trowa was remembering something...something important...mirrors? A child...but not a child...her eyes! Those weren't the eyes of his beloved sister those were of the demon child! "You're not my sister!" Trowa shouted and flung the clinging figure away, the girl changing before his eyes. The face before him changed to that of a man. One that Trowa had known very well...though he wished he hadn't. He had known him when he was still called Natashi or No-Name. This was the man who had...abused him. Crying out with rage and pain Trowa attacked the figure with all the power and grace of the lions he so admired. But it was to no avail. The man just disappeared into thin air. He heard childish laughter behind him and he spun around. "Amber! Stop this madness." Trowa glared at the girl and made a quick defense as she sprung at him with fang and claw...birdsong...he heard a bird! Fighting the waves of pain her claws were sending through his stomach he reached for that song with all of his heart and...woke up. He was in a meadow and the other Gundam pilots were all sleeping next to him. Ignoring the stinging sensation in his stomach he looked to find the source of his awakening. The songbird him gave him a weird, almost motherly look and then took off with a squawk. Shrugging Trowa tried to wake the others from their dreams but failed. Try as he might he couldn't release them from the grip of their current nightmare. He'd just have to wait for them to wake up. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Quatre... Quatre where are you? Why did you leave me?...Quatre I need you! Where did you go? Brother dear, where did you go?" Through a dense white haze Quatre heard the voice of his dearly loved sister Irea. "Irea? Where are you? Where are we? Irea?" Quatre called, straining for a view of his sister, "Irea is that you?" He saw a vague figure at the edge of the fog. "Quatre is that you?" Irea stepped through the fog to face her brother, "It is, so I've finally found you." She smiled, "It seems as if I'm always getting you out of trouble. Come on I want to show you something!" Quatre began to follow his sister but suddenly his warrior's sixth sense of danger went haywire. "Irea...Just where are we and why are you so calm?" Quatre was getting suspicious, "Please, tell me." "To father's grave of course." She stated matter of factly, "Since it was your fault in the first place that he died I figured that you'd want to see him one last time...or what's left of him." "What?" Quatre was taken aback by his sister's blunt statement, "I tried...you knew I tried to save him!" "But you didn't." her calm tone continued, "You were a coward. Now come along" "No!" Quatre yelled, "You're not my sister! She wouldn't say anything like that and it's not TRUE!" Quatre flung his "sister" away and was not surprised to see Starbreeze glaring at him. "You think you're so smart?" She grinned, revealing long, wicked fangs, "Try me on for size!" Quatre readied himself to fight her rapidly approaching face but suddenly it turned into that of Trowa. "Trowa? Is that you?" Quatre's voice was still a bit shaky from his nightmare. "Yeah, Quatre, it's me." Trowa's face looked as calm as always even in these strange surroundings but his brilliant green eyes were troubled. "What happened to them?" Quatre asked referring to the other pilots, "Same thing that happened to us I guess." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
White light surrounded Heero. ^Where am I? More importantly how do I get out? Wait...It's a door...there isn't anywhere else to go... ^ Heero opened the door, reaching for a gun that wasn't there. "Mister..." There was a slow small sound from inside, "Why? Why did you hurt us? We were just living peacefully. Why did you take our homes away?" A small child crying and carrying a puppy appeared before his eyes. Half of her face was gone, causing one eye to cry blood while older blood had congealed on various spots on her tattered clothing. Heero's eyes widened in what could only be a mixture of shock and guilt. He knew this girl... she was the product of a mission gone wrong...he had gone in to demolish a base and instead he had destroyed a city full of civilians. He had met the girl in a park while she had been walking her new dog. He had found the dog...in the rubble...it was dead. It looked the same now except that its cold eyes were decaying and maggots had begun to eat away at it. "It hurts..."she sniffled, "I'm so scared and all alone and it hurts. Where did they go? Where are papa and mama? I can't find them anywhere." Heero knew that if the girl knew the way out he would have to coax it out of her. "Can you show me the exit?" He asked the girl but he got little more than a wall-eyed stare out of her, "Do you know how you got in?" Nothing. She just continued just to stare at him with those empty, glazed eyes that peeked out of the oh so very pale face. After a short time she looked up at him and smiled. "It doesn't hurt anymore...but I'm cold...so cold..." Suddenly her eyes flashed and turned to red and then to a cold familiar blue as fangs and claws suddenly made themselves noticeable. "Won't you help me?" Her face was changing, "You owe it to me! You took everything and I want BLOOD!" She lunged at him and just as her fangs were about to snap into his face he...woke? For the first time in their lives Trowa and Quatre saw Heero pale and shaking like a leaf. They knew that he was very disturbed by something but what they didn't know was that if he had had anything in his stomach he would have thrown it up. "Where are we?" Heero managed looking around and seeing the other two pilots still dreaming. "We don't exactly know," Quatre seemed just as put out as everyone else there, "But I think whoever brought us here-" Quatre was interrupted by Duo, thrashing in the grip of his nightmare. "No..." Duo was moaning, "Come back..." Most of the rest was unintelligible but Heero thought he heard a sniffle followed by "boys don't cry". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Duo did not like this place. He didn't know where or what this whiteness was. There was nothing but white for as far as the eye could see. ^Which isn't far 'cuz this fog's so thick you could cut it with a knife, ^ Duo didn't like thinking about not being able to see what might be in there with him. He, as always, tried to lighten the mood so he started to sing softly to himself "20 bottles of beer on the wall! twenty bottles of beer! you take one down, pass it around 19 bottles of beer on the wall! 19- " Duo stopped as he heard his voice echoing back from the edges of his foggy prison. But the words weren't right at all! They came back as "20 bottles of blood on the wall 20 bottles of blood! You take one down, pass it around 19 bottles of blood on the wall!" ^Weird^ Duo thought, ^that's it!!!! No more Stephen King novels! I'm gonna give them all to Quatre. He seems to like them...or maybe he just gives them to Trowa. ^ Laughing nervously at himself he quickly changed his song. "This is the song that never ends! Yes it goes on and on my friend. Two people started singin' it, not knowing what it was and they'll continue singin' it forever just because! " Again Duo's voice echoed back with twisted words "This is the pain that never ends! Yes it goes on to you and all your friends. You started fighting it not knowing what it was and you'll all continue screaming forever just as it always was!" ^Ooooooookaaaaaay...right. Now this is getting creepy! Duo shook his head, I gotta stop reading those damn books! Next thing you know I'm gonna be seein' things! ^ Duo spun around to face the sudden footsteps behind him. "Hilde?" He choked, "What are you doing here? What am I doing here, for that matter? Where are we...?" He trailed off, "Hilde what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Hilde's eyes stared at him sightlessly as she muttered something. "What?" Duo strained to hear her, "Hilde speak up! I can't hear you if you mutter." "Em pleh." She said quietly, her head tilting to the side. "What? You aren't making any sense Hilde!" "EM PLEH!" Her eyes had opened wide and she fell to the floor, her back a mass of wounds. But they weren't fresh wounds. They were old and covered in rot. Her flesh was crawling with maggots and roaches. Duo ran to her side shaking her limp body, trying to bring her back. "No! Hilde come back! Please come back to me!" But it was no use. He held back tears, rocking himself back and forth and yelled "Boys don't cry. Do you hear me?! BOYS DON'T CRY!" He held his head trying to figure out what his dear departed Hilde had been telling him. Suddenly he remembered the pool, like a big mirror, it hit him and he shouted with his eyes closed "HELP ME!" Duo shuddered uncontrollably and whispered, "She was saying help me but I was too late! Why am I always too late! Please don't! Please don't take another one!" He looked up and saw Hilde... but it wasn't Hilde...it was that girl...from the pool. The pool! He sat up ready to show the little demon just what it was to mess with Shinigami but instead of finding the girl he saw...Heero? The white and fog were gone revealing a sunny meadow. "I was too late." Duo shuddered and ran for the bushes where he was violently sick. Turning back to the other three he said simply, "Don't ask. How's Wufei?" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"DEMON! COWARD! Come and fight me!" Wufei ignored the images of his dead loved ones for he knew that they were fallacies, "I will have no more of your mind games temptress! My ancestors have taught me well and I will escape you!" Smiling wickedly, the demon Skyjolt appeared before him. "Oh my! I tremble with fear! Oh please do not hurt me for I am only a weak onna!" Her eyes widened in mock fear, "Yeah right! Gimme a break! Even if you knew how to vanquish a demon you wouldn't have the power to defeat me!" Wufei allowed a slow smile begin to grow across his face, "I know how and I do have the power! Behold, the ancient sword of honor, Kizoku!" He reached out into his sheath and pulled out...a butter knife? "Injustice! Demon how could you take this magical sword?" Skyjolt just laughed, "You really do know nothing of magic don't you? This is a demon dream! Meaning I can do what ever I want to you and you can't hurt me. Too bad for you. But don't worry, dying fighting a demon is an honorable death so I won't give that to you. In fact I'm just stalling so my sisters can kill your friends while you sleep! Bye Dragon-boy." Suddenly Wufei was out of the whiteness and looking around dazedly in a meadow. He saw the other boys looking perfectly calm but Duo was clutching his ever-present cross hard enough to make his knuckles go white and all of the others were showing some sign of distress. "Are any of you hurt?" Wufei demanded, "In your dreams were any of you injured in any way or did you eat something?" The other boys shook their heads silently...all but Trowa who said quietly "She used her claws on me but I'm fine. It was just a dream Wufei." "No." Wufei had begun to rummage through a pack the boys had never noticed before. In fact they were all dressed strangely with strange weapons and possessions. "No it wasn't. Trowa where did she scratch you?" Wufei continued, slightly worried. "On my stomach, why?" "Look." Wufei pointed to Trowa's shirt, which had fresh and spreading bloodstains on it. Wufei looked at the odd expression on the clown's face "Trowa come here. There's a good chance that you've been poisoned and it has to be neutralized soon." Trowa took a couple of slow steps toward him but stopped and smiled slowly, "It's alright, Wufei, it doesn't hurt anymore." He shuddered and suddenly collapsed to be caught by his comrades excluding Wufei who was shuffling madly though his pack. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: That's the end of chapter two! Don't worry things will pick up soon! To those I grossed out or offended Gomen Nasi! (I'm VERY SORRY!) If you are confused.good! These first couple of chapters are supposed to be and your questions will be answered in the following chapters! As for the people I "killed" in this section I have nothing against them as you will soon see! In fact I am a huge Hilde fan! Rock on! Also if you are still wondering EM PLEH backwards or in a mirror is HELP ME. Please give me any Questions and or comments! With the Trowa abuse thing.I am referring to something written about in other fics and I won't go into detail. If you really want to know read the short fic "Trowa's tears" by Jet ! Hey Jet if you're reading this, your fic was great! It's short but I liked it!  
  
And to any of you who are wondering there is no hinting or otherwise of Yaoi or shonen-ai in any of my fiction. Email as always at hyeperbubchick@hotmail.com 


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the people in this story. So, like, don't due me 'cuz that would really suck!  
  
AN: Here is chapter three! It should be more interesting and should answer some questions...but those questions will give way to MORE questions! Muahahahahaha the power!  
  
Warning: When writing this I have drunk Diet Coke and Lipton herbal tea... Be warned! Chibi-Trowa: NOOOOOOOOOOO! Not Lipton tea! Authoress (that's me!): Herbal Lipton tea! Chibi-Trowa: GAAAAAAAAH! Run for your lives!  
  
Dedication: to Moe for reviewing this and helping me get it online! And of course, to myself because I AM AWESOME!...just kidding! Geez! Don't take me too seriously!  
  
Reflections Chapter Three: Confusion  
  
Trowa was running through the flames. They licked at his feet but they gave off no light, as he stumbled though the dark room. ^Trowa wake up! ^ There was a voice... his head? His mind was going slowly as though his flying feet were stealing speed from his mind. ^Trowa please wake up! ^ No...the voice wasn't in his head... He opened his eyes and was still met with the darkness from his dreams. He moaned "Quatre...is that...is that you?" It was difficult for him to breathe and his words came out as little more than a whisper. He could feel the rain pouring down on his fevered arms and shivers racked through his body like convulsions. "No, Trowa, it's Wufei. You're experiencing temporary blindness due to the demon's poison." "Hn. I see." Trowa felt a cup pressed to his lips and drank obediently. He was going to ask how long he was out but his tongue wouldn't obey him. In fact his mind seemed to be wandering on without him. ^I hope Cathy fed the lions. ^ Flitted through his thoughts just before he sank back into the darkness. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The boys had found a small house near the clearing where they had awakened. It had been abandoned for a short time but it suited their purpose just fine and in fact had been fully stocked. Soon after Trowa had collapsed it had begun to rain buckets and the boys were in desperate need to get out of the rain, especially the fever weakened clown. Once inside the boys desperately tried to light the fireplace with a flint stone in Duo's pack but, alas, the stone had gotten wet and would not work. Meanwhile Trowa's shivers grew worse and he had begun hallucinating. ^I have to do something fast. ^ Heero searched for an answer to his dilemma but could find none and was forced to watch his dear, though not admitted, friend slowly waste away. Heero could feel the heat of his anger and though he closed his eyes and calmed himself he could still feel the warmth. When he opened them again the rest of his companions were looking dazedly at the fire that had just suddenly appeared in the fireplace. All save Wufei who was making sure that Trowa would get the full advantage of the fire. "He should be fine and his fever should break before morning." Wufei sat down by the fire his bones aching with cold and damp. He closed his eyes taking in the heat of the fire when suddenly he sneezed. Opening his eyes he saw Quatre looking at him with a concerned expression. "Come on," the blond boy smiled, "Now that our clothes are dry we should see if the previous owners left anything useful and try to find something to eat." He managed to find some blankets in a closet and Heero had found food in the kitchen. Wufei just found dust and his sneezes got worse and all that Duo got was a bruise on his arm for joking about how cute the chibi-sneezes were. After eating the food from the kitchen and heating some water to drink and warm their bones the young pilots sat by the fire wrapped head to toe in the blankets Quatre had found. Heero stared at the flames in the fireplace, a mystery in itself. Had he really made the flames? No he couldn't have. It must have been someone else...right? But they had searched the whole house and they were alone. Heero's concentration was interrupted by Duo's loud steady breathing. He turned to ask Wufei if he could tell him anything about this strange world since he seemed to know something but when he turned to ask the Chinese boy he found him fast asleep. ^Maybe he told Quatre something^ Heero turned the other way only to find Quatre asleep as well, curled up like a puppy. Shaking his head the boy lay down and followed their example and was out like a light in seconds. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "You know Rose, we're gonna have to stop babying them soon." A tall figure appeared near the head of the sleeping Duo, "The demons will sense us soon." "I know Iris, we were lucky enough to save them from their dreams." The girl named Rose appeared beside the taller figure giving a motherly look toward Wufei, "Poor thing, he wore himself out fighting those demons and having to help Trowa." The two were as different as different could be when it came to looks. Iris was tall with light freckles, brown hair and eyes, the very picture of wisdom and calm. Rose, however, was short with dark freckles, red hair and blue eyes, a portrait of bravery and spirit. There was one similarity though, for their eyes held the same sparkle and wit. They returned Wufei's sword and added travel rations and currency to the boys' packs. Then the two walked over to Trowa and healed his wounds. Iris whispered in his ear and told the clown that his sister and the lions were all right and not to worry. Horses were tethered outside with tack. Finally the pair prepared to leave but before they did they left a sense of peace and security in the room as well as a magical guard to see them through the night. "I guess that's all we can do for them for now." Rose shook her head, "I just wish we could do more." "Ah, don't worry Rose," Iris smiled adding more warmth to the cheery room, "Heero already found his magic, Wufei has his family's wisdom, and the rest are not far behind on finding their respective talents. Besides, if they were strong enough to resist the temptations of the demons in the first place they aren't exactly innocents." The pair turned and vanished into thin air leaving only their magical protection and a peaceful smile on the pilots' faces. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Trowa awoke from peaceful dreams to find himself both surprisingly unaware of where he was and even more surprisingly ravenous. Looking around he found that the others had not yet awakened and they all had the most serene looks on their faces. Then he remembered; the strange dream, the demons, all of it. With a small shudder he sat and waited for the others to wake and fill him in on what he had missed. *YAWN* "Hey Trowa you're ok!" Duo blinked sleepily, "I suppose you want to know where we are. Well...I'm not really sure. We just found this abandoned house and...Hey! My pack's heavier than it was last night." Duo rooted around in it for a while and found travel rations, currency, and... "A Horse bridle?" Duo looked at it dazedly, "Why do we need those if we have no horses?" "Actually we do." Heero turned from the window and said, "There are six of them. One for each of us to ride and one for the packs." Quatre, who had recently awakened, decided to contribute, "I don't think the demons that brought us here would have given us those. I think someone's trying to help us." "Our Guardians." Wufei nodded to himself, "That would explain the supplies and the cabin. Apparently we have made friends as well as enemies on this trip."  
  
"But-We don't even know them!" Duo stammered. "Yes, but I think they know us," Trowa startled them all into silence with his knowing expression as he continued, "I was worried about Cathy when I awoke in the meadow but I in my dreams last night a voice told me that Cathy and the lions were fine and not to worry. Apparently whoever it is knows who we are and what we're supposed to do here and is trying to help us." There was silence for a moment and then Wufei cleared his throat. "I think I know what we're here for. In my meditation I had a vision. Those girls are demons working for a Grand demon and obviously one that doesn't like us." "What?" Duo, naturally, interrupted, "We don't even know the guy! Why does he hate us so much?!" Wufei shook his head. "Apparently we are the ones destined to bring about his downfall. That is all my vision told me before the demon interrupted." *crash* A brief search found Quatre in the kitchen bashfully setting pans back into a cabinet. "Sorry to startle you all," Quatre smiled, "I just decided that we should have breakfast since we have supplies on hand." Duo was rather enthusiastic about this idea. "Well, I never could think on an empty stomach!" He grinned. "I didn't know that you could think at all, Maxwell." Wufei teased, and ended up getting a handful of flour in his face. "*achoo!* MAXWELL!" Breakfast was rather uneventful, except for a few flung food items coming from Duo's direction. Though the braided pilot was obviously trying to lighten the mood but his efforts were lost on his stern comrades. When the boys readied their mounts in hopes that they could discover something else about where they were they found new items. Trowa found a small dagger, bow and arrows, and a magic map to lead them to where they needed to go. Quatre found a pair of short swords, one for each side, and a small stone with a strange inscription that burst into light whenever it came in contact with his skin. Heero received a sword and shield and a bag of small stones that smelled strangely of gunpowder. Duo discovered a scythe with a special sheath and a magic bubble that allowed one to breathe underwater. Wufei was reunited with Kizoku and a strange pair of glasses that Wufei didn't know the use of. They were all set to go...but where?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: alrighty! That's it for chapter three. As always questions and comments at hyeperbubchick@hotmail.com . I tried my best to match them up with the proper weapons...so DON"T FLAME ME!!!! ///^.^! I tried to add a little more humor to this chapter.  
  
And to any of you who are wondering there is no hinting or otherwise of Yaoi or shonen-ai in any of my fiction. 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. In fact...now that I think about it all I own right now is one and a half bottles of Frappichino! And if you think I'm gonna split with my dear precious coffee you're NUTS! *.~!  
  
Dedication: To all my fans! Whoopee! I've got fans! (Does victory dance) Go me! Go me! It's my Birthday! It's my Birthday! Uh huh! Uh huh! Guys dig me! (Realizes that people are staring) ummmmm...oops! Got a little caught up in the moment there... but again thanks to all of you who choose to read this! It really means a lot!  
  
AN: Okey dokey! Now that I've gotten that out of the way I'll continue with my story! As always Questions and comments are very welcome...and well those who decide to flame will be burned...ok sorry LAME pun. Now that I've got that out of my system it's time to write!  
  
Oh yeah and happy Fourth of July! Woohoo! ///^.^!  
  
Reflections Chapter four: Tears of the sky  
  
"So let me get this straight," Duo was just a tad exasperated, "We get all of this weird stuff from some dude we don't know after being sent here by some freaky ass demons AND to top it all off now Trowa thinks the map is telling him where whoever saved us wants us to go?" Trowa just nodded once and continued to concentrate on riding. "AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO FINDS THIS WEIRD?!?!?!?!" This time Duo almost fell off his horse, a rather tolerant black stallion that should have bucked off such an annoying rider by now but, by some miracle, had not. "Duo, you really shouldn't yell." Quatre stroked his white stallion affectionately, "Not only will you get bucked off but you might attract attention to us and that seems to be the last thing that we need right now." Duo let out a heavy sigh. "Where oh where do I find these people?" Shaking his head he started muttering about how he always was the type to get in these weird situations. To set the scene it was a beautiful day, complete with singing birds, sunshine filtering through the leaves, and no immediate danger; the boys were riding through a peaceful forest atop mysteriously calm horses on a trail that, though obviously in disrepair, promised a pretty uneventful ride. Promises, however, are broken every day and unfortunately this was one such promise. Not long after the boys had finished lunch, with MANY complaints about the food coming from a certain American, it had begun to pour. Again. Duo was seriously considering finding a rabbit's foot for luck or using Wufei's "extra" riding cloak for a rain guard. Trowa's hair had fallen into his face from the rain and he could see practically nothing. Wufei felt a sneeze coming on and gave Duo a "You-take-my-cloak-you-die" look as he swept said garment about his now soaked shoulders. Heero was miserable; he hated the smell of wet horse. In fact, the only boy who was happy was Quatre. Having spent a lot of time in the desert, he had learned to appreciate the rain. So he quelled his sniffles and rode on...and on...and on. "*achoo* Damn rain! Does it ever stop? Trowa! When are we gong to reach the frickin' town!" Everybody stared at Wufei as he dismounted and tied his horse to a tree. It seemed as if they were not expecting the usually somewhat calm boy to create such an outburst. "*achoo* What are you all *achoo* staring at? *achoo* Trowa! When are we going to get to that * achoo* accursed town?!" After a while Wufei stopped complaining for a moment to see just what the other pilots were gawking at now and froze dead in his tracks. They had reached the village. Apparently Wufei had not struck far from the mark when he had said that the town was accursed. Well, I guess it couldn't exactly be called a town. Smoldering rubble was more like it. The bodies of the few in the village that fought for their lives were strewn about the entrance of the small town where they had made their last stand. Behind them were the remains of those who could not defend themselves, mainly pregnant women, cripples, and children. Strangely, however, there was not a single corpse of an invader. The dead all wore the garb and stature of a common villager. In fact despite the obvious destruction of the village there was no other sign of invasion. The dead still had valuables on and the womenfolk did not appear to have been "abused", both signs of a raid. "I have a feeling," Quatre said slowly, "That the demons that were after us did this. I think..." He closed his eyes for a moment, "I think that there is something important to us somewhere in this village. I know it in my heart." Suddenly Duo ran off waving for them to follow. As they rounded a corner Heero said "Duo what is-" He cut off at the sight of a young man about his age. The boy's eyes stared sightlessly but he lived still. Upon hearing them come nearer he called hoarsely "Is that you?" He struggled to sit up, "Are you the ones of legend? Please, do not let our sacrifice be in vain." He paused to cough up blood and Duo opened his mouth to speak. Wufei caught his eye and motioned for him to be silent and let the boy continue. "Our people have suffered for generations under the thumb of the Wyrm of Night. You were brought here to save our people and your own. My family has protected the secret of the chosen five for centuries and now the time has come for you to fulfill your destinies. We were about to bring you here but the Wyrm's minions beat us to it. Our village was destroyed to punish the people for trying to help you and in hopes of destroying me so that I could not inform you of your heritage. *cough cough* But they failed. They never thought that a little blind boy could be of any significance and I escaped them. I have been told this legend since the day I was born. It goes like this:  
  
Five boys with stories untold, shall make the future unfold.  
  
One of Earth, The mirthless clown. The nameless boy. With a face of stone, A Heart of gold.  
  
One of Air, The final child. A desert rose. With a soul of glass, Tempered strong by courage.  
  
One of fire, The weapon. Yet the man. Entrapped in walls of cold, A pure heart beats on.  
  
One of Water, The smiling Death. A light of the dark. Release the light, See a child.  
  
One of Energy, The fighter. A man of Justice. In the ground of the past Lies the pain of the present.  
  
Fight together Or not at all.  
  
Keep this close to your heart. You alone can save both our worlds. * cough * Remember...Hope...is.......eternal." Whispering a prayer, Duo closed the man's ever-sightless eyes and turned to face the group. "Well you heard the guy. We have no choice but to move on." "Duo's right," Heero was as emotionless as usual, "We can't stay here and we need to find shelter before the rain gets worse." "My map is pointing northwest." Trowa stated. "That's as good of a direction as any so let's go." Heero walked away from the stunned group and waited by the horses for the rest to follow. They traveled silently along a muddy trail for the good potion of an hour until finding an unoccupied cave. Once again Duo had somehow managed to get their only flint stone wet and the fire would not light. Pushing the braided boy out of his way Heero stood in front of the fire pit. He was going to try something. What little curiosity he had was bothering him to try it and this was as good of a time as any. Crouching before the fireplace he concentrated and *poof * it lit. "Hn. So it does work." Heero muttered as he walked past his stunned comrades. Wufei was staring at him, "Yuy what did you just do?" The Chinese boy looked curious. "I lit the fire." Heero shrugged. "Yes, I know that, but how did you do it?" Wufei continued. "I told it to." That got a few glances. "So that boy was telling the truth." Duo looked grim, "So I guess that means that we do have to find that Wyrm guy now, don't we?" "It appears so." Wufei shook his head, "Now I know why the elders insisted on making us remember that story." Trowa nodded, "We have no choice but to move on." "Right! But hopefully the path will become clearer as we move on." Quatre appeared at his side, "Wow, real magic. Who would have guessed?" "Right, but this isn't a picnic Quatre." Wufei pointed out, "We are just as likely to be killed here as we were back in our own realm. The Quatre gave a bleak nod and went to help Duo and Trowa set up for the night when something dawned on him. "Hey! Where's Heero?" Quatre asked. The Wufei, Duo and Trowa searched inside while Quatre looked outdoors. "Heero!" Quatre shouted for about the billionth time, "Heero, are you out there?" There was no response. ^Darn it! ^ Quatre thought to himself, ^Well, I had better go back inside to our meeting place. ^ Humming an old tune softly to himself to lighten the mood, Quatre walked back to the fire inside of the cave. Taking a look around he discovered that the boys had not yet returned from their search of the deep cave. ^Or, ^ Quatre realized, ^maybe they did! This scrap of fabric seems to have been ripped off of Trowa's shirt! If this thing managed to get the others I had better be careful. ^ Stepping silently Quatre grabbed his light sphere (one of the gifts from chapter three!) and walked silently along. ^Ugh! ^ Quatre grimaced, ^I hate spider webs. But at least they leave a trail of where the boys passed. The broken ones have been traveled and the whole ones-^ "oh!" Quatre just barely kept his footing when he caught sight of the scene in front of him. Immediately dimming his light sphere he stared blankly at the stunning tableau. His fellow pilots were hanging upside down completely encased in spider webs all except for their faces and apparently unconscious. Behind them were these humongous spiders, obviously female by the bulk of their abdominen, and though apparently blinded by cave life, they posed a very real threat. "I smell boy, Silf!" One hissed. "Well, duh, Mako, We DO have four of them right here." The one called Silf snapped. "NO! This one's new! I mean it!" Mako pleaded, fangs dripping. "That is what you say EVERY TIME! You just want me to leave so you can have them all to yourself." Quatre at this time was deep in thought. ^Ok. I don't think I can kill these things with my swords and I KNOW that they aren't friendly. I guess magic is the only way. Hmmm...according to the legend I should be...Air! That's it! Now all I have to do is cut off their air supply and they'll suffocate. ^ So Quatre concentrated and though he dizzy and out of breath from the feat he managed to suffocate the abominable arachnids. Cursing at the walls for spinning, Quatre removed one of his swords and cut Wufei down and asked the now awake boy to help him free the others. They managed to remove all of the webbing with a minimal amount of cursing; all except, that is, for the webs caught in Duo's long locks. They moved their things outside of the cave to avoid more company and Duo volunteered to keep first watch. "I gotta get this crap out of my hair anyway." Duo said and waited for the others to fall asleep and then he said to himself "Alright buddy boy, this is it. If Mr. Perfect and Q-man over there can do it so can I. But mark my words NO MORE CAVES!" Realizing that he might wake the others by speaking out loud Duo quickly introverted his thoughts. ^Hmmm...now where was I...oh yeah! According to the legend I should be...Water! Perfect! Now I can get all of this stuff out of my hair. Alright, hmmm lesse...I can just concentrate on getting my hair wet and...^ *SPLASH* Duo opened his eyes in shock as he was suddenly soaked from head to foot in startlingly cold water. ^Hey! What do ya know! It worked...hmmm...maybe a little too well...I wonder if there's a towel in here... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Well Iris, they seem to be getting by quite well without us." Rose appeared in the high branch above where the pilots had made their camp. "Indeed. Those cave spiders did have me worried for a minute there." Iris poked her head down from a higher branch, "But this is only the beginning." "Right," Rose shook her head, "But now that our check up is over we should be going quickly. They aren't strong enough to fight the Demons yet so we can't risk them finding us." With a rustle of leaves the two mysterious beauties disappeared into the night. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: Alrighty! That's Chapter four! Didn't think I'd make it this far did ya? Anyhoo Questions and comments are always welcome at hyeperbubchick@hotmail.com Stay tuned for chapter five! Oh yeah and I hope my attempt at verse wasn't too brutal! I was gonna make it rhyme but it was lame and REALLY hard. ^.* Oh and to any people I may have offended I'm sorry! Really and honestly!  
  
And to any of you who are wondering there is no hinting or otherwise of Yaoi or shonen-ai in any of my fiction. 


	5. Chapter Five

Discliamer: *sniff * I don't own Gundam Wing. *sniff * The rest of the characters and the work of fiction are mine, however so if you want to use it please give me some credit. It's hard work ya know.  
  
AN: Okay. I am in the middle of cutting down on my caffeine intake * sniff* who knew the stuff was bad for you? Anyhoo, this probably isn't my greatest work cause I'm goin through withdrawal headaches and all that jazz that you gotta go through to get over caffeine so please bear with me. In advance, I hope I don't offend anybody. Somehow I am one of those people that doesn't go looking for trouble...it just finds me. So please don't be mad! In the words of the Q-Man himself "We shouldn't be fighting at all!"  
  
Dedication: To everybody who has ever been called a dork, dweeb and or spaz or anything resembling that. Sorry for the sappy stuff but I just read some REALLY sad fics! Besides, every author has to have at least one sappy dedication! That and I'm running out of people to thank! Um...I want to thank the academy...My mom I LOVE YOU MOM! All the people who do the little jobs on life. The dude that created ice cream and Oh! The dude that created Maalox (The two go together!) And-  
  
Chibi-Wufei: Stop rambling onna and get on with the story!  
  
Authoress: Hey! Who are you to talk about rambling?! * Grumbles* Oh, ok. Alright I'll get on with it.  
  
Enjoy! ///^.^!  
  
  
  
Reflections Chapter five: Brothers in Arms  
  
"The map says we have to go through the mountain." Trowa stated, resettling himself in the saddle. Duo's eyes widened. "Well that's it! I guess this is a dead end." He looked hopeful, "Maybe we're supposed to blow it up or something." Wufei shook his head as he said, "Even if we could, Maxwell, I don't think the map would want us to. There must be an answer around here somewhere." So the strangely dressed pilots began to explore the area around the base of the mountain but to no avail. There seemed to be no way through and after an hour the boys decided to regroup and come up with a new plan. "That's it!" Duo complained, "Not only am I wearing tights and a tunic but now we are just supposed to walk through a damned mountain!" Snarling he punched the looming obstacle and amazingly enough a panel gave way and a large door opened revealing * Dramatic pause* a cave! "NO!" Everybody's favorite American wailed, "I am not Not NOT going into another damn cave!" "Grab his arms." Heero said as he punched Duo in the stomach for about the billionth time this year. "I *huff * Am * gasp* going to *wheeze * kill you * gasp* Heero." Duo mumbled with what little air he had left. "Hey," Quatre chimed in, grabbing an arm, "Isn't that Heero's line?" ~*~*~*~*~* So everybody's favorite American boy was dragged forcefully into yet another cave by his by his *ahem * caring companions. By the time Duo was capable of keeping up without being dragged the boys had traveled quite a distance into the dank cave. Earlier on Quatre had retrieved his light sphere and Heero * lit* a torch. Despite the cave's natural capacity for harboring lots of little creepy crawly glow in the dark blind thingies that crawl in your boots, it was strangely deserted. Duo's shouts (after he got his breath back) of "Echo" didn't seem to disturb anything. There was no living creature in sight, not a bat, a bug, just nothing. "There's evil here." Trowa startled them all by breaking the silence, "Something must have killed everything here and no predator would be so wasting. Lions and other predators always leave something for the next generation to live on. Whatever did this was no ordinary creature." As if in response there was a loud hissing noise that could be heard throughout the corridor. Snakes with the bodies of men but still with their serpentine heads poured seemingly out of nowhere. Their fangs dripping poison, they hissed maliciously at their unlucky prey. Snarling, the beasts managed to separate Trowa and Quatre into a different tunnel while the other G-boys escaped through another finding air and sweet freedom. However, the escapees were not all smiles for they had lost two friends back in the tunnel and could do nothing but wait for the two to emerge. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Quatre and Trowa ran through a dank tunnel with only Quatre's small light to lead the way. There was nothing to guide them but a small but steadily widening stream. Quatre whispered, "Hey Trowa, are you thinking what I'm thinking." The tall boy nodded for he too knew that if the water could escape, there was a good chance that the two boys could as well. So the two ran with the stream, the small trickle soon growing to an all out roar. Trowa and Quatre emerged into a large cavern cut off by a large waterfall with the creatures right behind them. Quatre looked at Trowa and when the taller boy nodded the two leapt into the icy abyss. *~*~*~*~*~*~ Dazed and waterlogged, Quatre remembered little of he and Trowa's struggle against the current and had no recollection of how he had gotten ashore. Looking around he did not see Trowa. He did however catch a glint of one of the Snake men's cold eyes. Ignoring the stars in front of his eyes Quatre jumped to his feet and unsheathed his swords yelling, "What the Hell did you do to Trowa?! You bastards!" Now those of you who know Quatre know that when he starts shouting...well...head for the highest and most distant hill possible. The Snake men however did not know such details and were rather unprepared for the Arabian boy's sudden rage. Quatre rushed at his foe, not caring that he was outnumbered fifteen to one but only that they killed Trowa. With tears gleaming in his eyes he fought like fury. Hacking off limbs, Quatre would not stop until either all of them or he was dead. His blades sliced the air, never staying in the same place for more than what seemed like a millisecond. The boy was a deadly blur of steel and blood, destroying everything in his path. If the Snake men weren't already too busy fighting for their lives they would have been simply standing in awe of the sheer beauty of the boy's desperate dance of swords. All stands cannot last forever and though the brave Arabian boy managed to destroy ten of the beasts, alas, five still remained and were about to make the best of their precious blond meal. ~*~*~*~*~*~* AN: Hmmm... should I stop here? Nah, I'm too nice for that! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Trowa awakened to the sound of his name. Shaking his head to clear the spots, he pushed the hair out of his eyes. He swore that he could hear the sound of steel, but it was faint, almost untraceable. He examined his gear finding that currently his bow was too wet to use but his dagger and equipment miraculously were still with him. Standing, he thought he heard someone cry out in agony. ^Quatre! ^ His mind wailed as he sprinted full out toward the sound of the screams ^I just hope I'm not too late! ^ Trowa stopped about one hundred yards from the spot where Quatre was being held. One of the creatures had Quatre hanging limply from one hand while his fangs inched nearer to the boy's throat. He knew that the boy was too far away from him to use his dagger and his bow was useless for the moment. Trowa searched desperately for an answer and then it hit him. He knew what to do and he was going to do it even if it killed him. ^Here goes... ^ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Damn it!" Duo cursed, pacing the same patch of earth for, as Wufei had counted, the hundred and thirteenth time this hour. "Duo," Wufei said calmly, "I am as worried about them as you are but I don't think that cursing is going to help any." "Then what do you expect to do Wufei?!" Duo threw his hands up, "Make camp and roast marshmallows?!" "I don't think we have any marshmallows but the rest seems like a pretty good idea." Wufei shrugged. "WHERE DO I FIND THESE PEOPLE?!?!?!?!" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Semiconscious, Quatre dangled limply from the creature's icy grasp. ^I'm sorry Trowa...I...I failed you just like...like before...I hope we will meet again sometime...^ Quatre closed his eyes and waited for the end. An end that did not come. Reopening his eyes, Quatre was startled to see that the green creature had turned an odd shade of gray and had completely frozen, no longer moving or breathing at all. Wrenching himself from the dead creature's grip Quatre looked dazedly around to see that the other creatures were the same way. As he was inspecting one of the dead Snake men something caught his eye. Something green and human shaped. ^Trowa! ^ Quatre's mind raced but not as fast as his feet as he sprinted the distance to his fallen friend, ^hold in there Trowa, I'm coming.^ As Quatre drew nearer Trowa stirred and half opened his eyes. "Ow," He muttered, "Quatre are you all right?" "Am I alright?!" Quatre smiled, "You're the one on the ground, not me. What happened to them?" Quatre waved to their would be assassins. "I turned * gasp* them to stone." Trowa winced slightly as his headache prevented hi from sitting up any further. "I can see that Trowa," Quatre's warm smile was starting to show, "But How?" Trowa managed to sit up while he said simply, "Magic. Like you, Heero, and according to his wet clothes this morning, Duo have used. I have the feeling that Wufei has some too but he doesn't want to use it just yet." Quatre helped Trowa walk and the two began to go for the light near the end of the tunnel when Quatre suddenly stopped. "Quatre, what's wrong?" Trowa asked, his face back in its usual mask. "Trowa why did you save me?" Quatre blurted out, " You could have just left and saved yourself but you stopped for me and-" Trowa put up a hand to stop the torrent of words and then said slowly, "I never had a brother-" "What?" Again Quatre was stopped by Trowa's hand. "You didn't let me finish, Quatre," Trowa allowed a very rare smile, "I meant to say that that I never had a brother, before I met you." The smile turned into a genuine could-put-shinigami-to-shame grin. Quatre gave a smile of his own, "Neither did I Trowa. Neither did I." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Heero and Wufei were waiting when Quatre and Trowa finally emerged from the cave's mouth. Sitting down near the fire Quatre asked, "Where's Duo?" Wufei shook his head and nodded to the east, "He wore himself out worrying about you two. He's sleeping under that tree over there." And so the mighty five were reunited and were once again ready to continue on their journey. Well, in the morning at least. So the five Brothers in Arms, together again, slept in security under the star filled sky. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: Well there is chapter five, my attempt at being sentimental. It is my belief that though the boys are not exact blood relations they are, in a sense, as much of brothers as any that are blood tied could be. I believe that what defines a sibling does run through the heart, but it is not blood, it is love! *sniffles and reaches for a tissue * No...I promised myself I wouldn't cry...WAAAAAAH!...Juuuuust kidding! Sorry this one was a little short but I really only had one purpose in this chapter, to point out the bond between the boys and to reveal Trowa's talent.  
  
So this is your authoress saying: Ja Ne! Until next time keep your hands on the wheel, your feet on the pedals, and don't forget to drive! (I always wanted to say something like that!) As always Questions + comments at hyeperbubchick@hotmail.com  
  
Oh yeah and there is no hinting or other wise of yaoi or shonen-ai in any of my fiction! Take that Mr. Yaoi! 


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Gundam Wing. In fact my lemonade stand to raise money to buy them all has only put me back $12 for the cost of supplies! (Just kidding of course, but honestly and truly I do not own Gundam wing.) I do, however own this fiction cuz I wrote it! I would be glad to let anyone use it with my permission as long as I get some credit! Hey writing isn't easy you know!  
  
Alright, dedications are getting old, & disclaimers are only so much fun so...I'm gonna have a tip of the day. Since Quatre is sponsoring it (hey he's loaded!) it's gonna be called the Q-Tip of the Day!  
  
Q-Tip: Fortune cookies are always wrong. O_o  
  
There you have it folks! Keep this wisdom next to your hearts and keep your internal organs in your body for goodness sake! I think you need those... well except for your appendix but don't get it taken out! Ouchies! 0.o Oh yeah, and if you can't already tell I got back on caffeine for the sake of writing and my sanity. I did, however drink the last of my coffee but never fear! I have found a substitute, drum roll please: diet Herbal Snapple! That's right folks! I can drink as much as I want without having to worry about all those calories and still be relatively insane! Muahahahahahaha!  
  
Chibi-Trowa: Head for the hills!  
  
No, But seriously I gotta get to writing something useful sooooooo here it is *Drum roll* Chapter six!  
  
  
  
Reflections Chapter six: It isn't easy...in fact it's hard  
  
"There doesn't seem to be a bridge anywhere." Wufei looked up and down the course of the river and could see no log or other type of man-made crossing in the light drizzle that had begun to fall. "Yeah," Quatre just shook his head, "And you'd have to be crazy to try and cross the river now. All that rain made the banks overflow and the current is way too strong for a safe crossing to be possible." "Damn rain," Duo suddenly straightened, "Wait! I've got it! I can just move the water! Okay, here goes." And suddenly a wave came and splashed in a small circle around and on the spell caster himself. "Oh DAMN! Not again!" Duo glared at Wufei who was now hiding laughter, "Well how do you propose we go across Wufei?" "I propose-" Wufei was cut off by a loud equine squeal of pain and they all turned to see Trowa quickly dismounting off of his roan stallion that now seemed to have a limp. "Shh," Trowa soothed the panicky animal, "It's not so bad." Stroking the creature's neck Trowa promptly fell in the mud as he heard the horse respond clearly as day, ^"Oh yeah, It's not so bad...what the hell do you think I am an idiot? Geez! Just 'cuz I'm a stallion does not mean that I'm all hormones and no brain ya know! I think I should know if it hurts or not and it HURTS dammit!" ^ "Um...Trowa are you all right?" Quatre asked when he saw the boy's awestruck expression. "Did-Did you guys hear that?" Trowa received nothing but blank stares, "My horse just tal-" ^"No SHIT Sherlock now fix it!" ^ The stallion stamped impatiently interrupting him. "Trowa are you sure you're ok?" Duo gave him this look, "You look like you've seen a ghost." "You mean you don't hear him?" Trowa asked nervously, not sure of his own sanity. "Hear who?" Quatre looked clueless, for what could be the first time in his life. "The stallion," Trowa sounded unsure, "He's talking to me...well cussing at me is more like it." Duo grinned and said, "Welcome to the nuthouse buddy boy! Free membership!" "No," Trowa was determined, "I can prove it!" He turned to the stallion, "Ok walk in a circle and toss your head." The horse snorted, ^"What am I a freak show?! You're crazy! I won't do it."^ "All right then," Trowa knew how to deal with this, "Then I won't fix your pain and I'll leave you here for the wolves." ^"You drive a hard bargain clown."^ The horse limped in a circle and bobbed his head. "I think it's the magic but I'll have to perfect it," Trowa began to wrap its foot, "I don't think that we're going anywhere today so you might as well set up camp." Duo moaned, "WHERE THE HELL DO I FIND THESE PEOPLE? Geez..." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: I'm sorta gonna go into detail about their powers so if you are confused I will explain some of the magic mumbo-jumbo after the chapter! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ^Hmmm...^ Heero was pondering, ^I have no trouble finding my source of power but control is another manner. I should concentrate on making the flame and heat smaller or putting a larger fire out. ^ And so he did. Heero set up a row of wet sticks varying in sizes. He practiced both lighting them and putting them out starting with the larger ones and slowly moving to the smaller. Then he practiced on making a protective circle of fire around himself in order to deflect enemy arrows and such. He ended up with a lot of singed hair and skin but overall he thought he had done pretty well. In fact with a bit of practice this should be useful on missions. ^Hmmm...^ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ While Heero was trying to open up to his powers Trowa was attempting to shut some of them out. He could easily talk to any animal he chose, but once he did he could not shut them up. Constant sounds of ^"Ooh! Do you have oats? Really? No? Well you certainly smell like oats! Are you really sure that you don't have oats? No? Too bad, because I would love to have some oats. Mmmm...oats. Say you wouldn't happen to have any oats would you? No?" ^ And so on coming from Duo's horse as well as the others' were really starting to wear on his nerves. So he practiced shutting them out one by one. ^Phew, ^ Trowa thought, Finally some silence...^ "HEY TROWA!" Duo yelled from across the way, "HOW'S IT GOIN?" *Shudder* ^so much for silence. ^ Getting back to business, Trowa also found that he could move the ground easily in large amounts but keeping it the way was another manner. He could manipulate the soil and rock easily but if the substance wanted to return to its normal status something simple became strenuous. He could also look into the Earth to find materials like gems or ore and move them to the surface, the effort increasing with depth. And as shown earlier he could turn things to stone but it was HARD! In fact without the pressure of emotion he could not come near the feat that he had accomplished earlier...yet. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: sorry if it gets a bit choppy here! My computer was offline for a couple weeks so I couldn't write!!!!!! WAAAAAH!!!! 0.o Microsoft be Damned...jk! GAAAAH! Bill Gates! What are you doing here? Oh...okay I guess so...here goes....Microsoft be Un-Damned...there ya happy now?! ///^.^! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Quatre seemed very well matched to his power. The Arabian being rather creative was able to make full use of his powers. You see there isn't much to wind powers except for moving air around. That in itself can be very damaging along with the fact that he could suffocate someone, grated that someone didn't move out of his range. But Quatre, as you all should know, is much smarter than your average blond (AN: As always I joke for the sake of joking!), and he soon discovered that he could manipulate the weather. Not wanting to cause irregular weather patterns he always put the weather back where it belonged. He also discovered that by creating an area of thickened air he could form a sort of shield to deflect an attack or fling back his attacker. He also discovered that out in the open air out under the sky it was easier to use his powers than it was inside a cave. ^Hmmmm...^ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *Splash* Duo was soaked. The problem with his power was that it was too willing to give. You see, water usually joins together to form puddles and lakes and such. So when Duo called the power it all wanted to come out in a rush. With a lot of mental strain Duo finally found a knack to it, like making a mental dam and only letting some through. Once he finished with his first task Duo began to shape the water. With effort he could move it to any shape he wanted and even make it sharp. Acting on a hunch he focused and *scrunch* the water froze! "Cool!" He could only draw so much water in this area, though the closer he got to the river the more he could draw...Curiouser and curiouser *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Wufei was a bit reluctant to use his powers. He hadn't told the others but according to legend many people had been destroyed by attempting to use the magic. Of course those men and women had been fueled by greed or ambition and were unworthy of the power. It was not that Wufei was afraid, but he himself had seen firsthand what the power could do to a person. An old friend, a fellow scholar, had stumbled upon the legend and was curious. His friend had nagged Wufei into trying it with him. His friend had not succeeded in reaching the power but Wufei, in fact had. He had accidentally struck his friend with lightning causing the boy to be in a coma for the rest of his life. The authorities blamed it on a freak storm but Wufei had known the truth. He told no one. He had been a coward and had not taken responsibility for his actions. Sure, Wufei could have blamed it on the stupidity of youth, but he did not make excuses. They were weak. So as usual he was too hard on himself and vowed to make up for what he had done. He had promised himself that he would not use his powers until he was truly prepared. In his opinion he was not yet ready. He would wait for the right moment so he would never destroy another friend. Wufei decided to meditate and explore his powers internally. Upon doing so he realized several things. First, he could call large amounts of electricity but he had to ground it in a certain amount of time, the more power the less time, or it would come back and strike him instead. Second, he could cause a usually non-conducting object to carry current for a certain amount of time. Again if he held it for too long the power would run rampant and hurt someone. ^I will be ready, Wufei vowed, ^And when I am my enemies will cower in fear!^ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The day was done, the sun was set, and the G-Boys were, as all good boys, finishing supper and then getting ready for bed. Duo had used his new found powers to beach some fish from the river and Trowa had gone foraging and found some edible roots and berries. The cooked fish were a nice change from dried meat and the juice helped soften the bricklike ration bread, so supper was pretty uneventful. "It looks like the water level is lowering," Wufei paused from gnawing a bit of bread to convey the news, "We should be able to resume travel tomorrow, that is if Trowa's horse is ready." Trowa nodded, "Yeah, he'll be fine." "All right!" Duo grinned, "So it's back on the open road again!" "Yeah," Heero frowned, "But remember what were here for." "He's right," Quatre chimed in, "We don't know what we'll find as we move along. Probably more chaos and destruction knowing our enemy." Solemn silence followed the blond pilot's stern declaration and the boys moved to their various spots and rested up for the next day, with Wufei keeping first watch. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "They seem to be progressing quite nicely." Iris swung her arms in a mock battle, the tree branch she was perched on swinging precariously, "Hah! Those demons have no chance! They'll pay for what they've done! I can't wait to see the looks on their faces! Wham! Bam! Right to the kisser! And a left and a right! Hiiiyah!" Rose shook her head and sighed, "Don't get cocky Iris. If defeating the Wyrm was that easy we would have done it ourselves." "Yeah," Iris pouted, "We couldn't even knock off a flunky...AND to top it all off he's got FIVE flunkies! We're doomed!" "Shhh!" Rose cut off her partner's unusually pessimistic rant, "I hear something...It's one of those demons! Skyjolt's here! We have to drive them off come on let's go!" Iris was shocked. "B-But-Rose!" She stammered, "We couldn't beat her last time and we can't now!" Jumping from her perch Rose snorted from the ground, "That's not the point! We have to distract them from the Chosen! Even if our own lives are forfeit." As silent as owls in the night Rose and Iris stole through the black night toward sure destruction. Through the trees Iris could see the watch fire where the hope of the world either slept or kept a quiet vigil under the night sky. ^As long as the stars still shine,^ Iris' moss brown eyes glowed with an inner light, ^As long as the stars shine in the night sky there is hope...that is what Father Mike always said...but tonight it's cloudy...^ she shook her head, ^No! I won't give up! Rose wouldn't! We must protect the chosen ones at all costs.^ Rose glanced at Wufei through the trees, the silent boy was keeping watch with a stern expression. ^I will do what I must to protect him.^ Her ice blue eyes gleamed, ^Even if I die trying.^ Suddenly the two girls found themselves staring into a pair of pale gold eyes. "Well, well." Skyjolt sneered, "If it isn't our unlikely heroes. Did you come to be humiliated again or did you want to plead for a quick death? Make it quick, I'm busy." Iris glared, "Cut the crap, demon. You will never get your hands on the chosen ones." Rose seconded, "The power of good will always defeat evil!" The demon laughed, sending ice cold shivers down the teenagers' backs, "That's not what happened last time if I am not mistaken." She raised her arm and lightning raced through the night clouds, "I tire of this game and my master waits, oh! And tell all of those pathetically brave villagers I said 'hi'" The demon brought her arm down and Rose dodged the lightning racing from the sky. Iris was not so fortunate. A bolt caught her in the back and then the girl went flying into a nearby tree. She let out an agonized wail and then was still. Rose readied her staff as she whirled to face the demon and was about to scream challenge when a voice called from the clearing "Hey! Who's out there! Show yourselves!" In the trees walked Wufei, his sword Kizoku gleaming in the dim light of the fire beyond as his eyes searched the woods around him. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: There's chapter six! As for the Magic mumbo jumbo...well they all obviously have an element. They can control their element only but with a bit of creativity they can expand or even combine their powers to make a stronger attack or defense. I thought that Trowa talking to animals would be fun to write about and the characteristic would fit him best. Any other questions and or comments email me at hyeperbubchick@hotmail.com Okey dokey? Allrighty then!  
  
This is your authoress saying you've been a wonderful audience! Thanx for reading! More chapters soon...unless my #%^$@& computer decides to make an a$$ of itself again! As Always there is no Yaoi or Shonen-ai in any of my fiction. Not to diss people that like yaoi but I don't like it. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam wing. In fact I own nothing so suing me will be a waste of your time and moolah. $*_*$ Moneymoneymoneymoney! Mooooooooooooonay! Speaking of money I make none off of this fiction...in fact the last thing I got paid for was babysitting my neighbor's psychotic Jack Russell...Mighty Midget Dog of Destruction! Sorry got a little caught up there! Oh and if you want to put my fic somewhere, be my guest. Just tell me and give me some credit, 'kay?  
  
Dedication: To every hardcore Gundam Wing fan! Oh and to my mom for fixing the D*^#$ computer! And as always, to all my fans!...I DO have fans don't I?!  
  
AN: Okay a lot of important info is coming in this chapter so pay attention! A lot of your questions will be answered! Okay?! All right! Wish me luck! ///^.^!  
  
Reflections Chapter seven: Mystery Unveiled  
  
"Hey! Who's Out there?" Wufei drew Kizoku, preparing to fight. ^I know I heard a scream. There has got to be someone out here and likely I'll find one of the Demons with her. Damn, I should have woken one of the others but it's too late for that now. I'm not going to let any more innocents die. This has to stop.^ Wait! He saw someone. Two someones actually. There was a short redheaded girl preparing to fight what only could be the Demon Skyjolt. Wufei stepped out of the trees prepared for battle, "So we meet again Demon." He waved at the strange girl standing near him, "Let her go. It's me you want to fight." Much to Wufei's surprise the girl pushed him away and shouted, "No! You go! Get your friends and leave! Grab my companion over there if she won't burden you but leave as quickly as you can!" She pointed to a prone figure lying near a tree and when Wufei did not move she yelled, "I can at least buy you some time! Go Damn it! Go!" Wufei shook his head, "I can't. I can't leave a woman in danger, now step aside. You don't have enough power to beat the Demon I can see it in your eyes. Take your friend back to camp and wake my fellow pilots." The strange girl looked him in the eyes for a moment and then said, "All right, but don't go and get your fool self killed. You hear me?" Having said what she needed to say the strange girl fled into the night, she and her companion becoming nothing more than a shadow. "Such," The demon snapped cruelly, "A touching reunion. After I finish with you I'll kill the other chosen and nothing will stand in Lord Wyrm's way." Lightning glittered around her in a small circle and then faded as she smiled a cold-blooded smile, "You know, it's quite a pity, having to kill you. You are kinda cute. Oh well." She again raised her arms and lightning fell from the sky. Wufei did not move and the lightning just seemed to go around an invisible dome around him. Hissing the demon suddenly grew. The small beautiful features turned large and grotesque. Before Wufei stood a Wyvern (An: Info on Wyverns at end of chapter.) as pale as gold with long gleaming claws and fangs. Wufei charged in bravely, Kizoku weaving and slicing like some sort of irate metal snake. But alas! The Demon had our hero matched stroke for stroke and things looked bleak for Wufei. "The end issss nearrr morrrtal," The Wyvern's voice was a loud hissing whisper. "It," Wufei dodged a swing that would have dislodged head from shoulders, "Isn't over until I say it's over!" The struggle continued with both occupants bleeding and unwilling to give up. At long last Wufei was forced to the ground, covered in blood that was both his own and Skyjolt's. As he prepared himself for one final burst that would probably kill them both an arrow suddenly appeared in one of the Demon's gleaming golden eyes. As the Demon fell back Wufei staggered to his feet, looking for the archer. Nearly silent feet landed beside the wounded warrior and he looked to his right to see Trowa, hair shining from the starlight omitting from the now clear sky. "Hello Wufei," Trowa drew his dagger and faced the demon. "You have no chance." He called, "You can't beat us all at once." "That's right!" Duo stepped out of the shadows next to Trowa, violet eyes gleaming with an inner light, "Your little Demon a$$ is grass!" Quatre and Heero emerged from the brush after the braided pilot. "Thisss isssn't overr!" Skyjolt seemed to weep blood from her injured eye, "I will have my rrrevenge!" With a clap of thunder she was gone and the Chosen ones stood alone in the blue-gray light of starry hope. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Ow!" Iris exclaimed for what must have been the third time in five minutes, "I think you're really tying that bandage too tight. Look! My arm's turning red! Oh wait, that's just blood! Whoops! Silly me!" The girl was sitting next to the small fire that the boys had started earlier with Duo tending to her wounded arm. Across the fire from them Rose was bandaging up Wufei. "There!" Duo grinned, "You're all fixed up!" His smile faded, "But I think we all want an explanation from our ever-so-elusive Guardians." From across the fire Rose sighed, "Where do you want us to start?" "Why don't you start at the beginning?" Quatre's smile was warm as always but his eyes were inquisitive, "We can talk as we ride. If you don't have your own mounts you can double up with some of us." Iris beamed, "Oh, we have mounts." She and Rose both gave a long high- pitched whistle and large wolf accompanied by an sleek black panther appeared. A gray wolf with a ring of pure white around the neck curled up by Rose while a black panther large enough to ride on like a pony with green eyes the color of Oak leaves stepped toward Iris. Rose smiled and said, "Shall we ride?" *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* AN: This is going a bit into the past so bear with me. Basically it's explaining the legend and how Rose and Iris were chosen as guardians. It's from a different point of view but keep reading! I will try to make it interesting! *~*~*~*~*~* (Iris) ~_^! I never knew who my real parents were. I was found on the steps of the church in Tamsin, a small fisherman's village sixteen years ago, as a newborn child. The people of the town took me in and raised me, naming me after the flower they found in the basket beside me. The village was a happy place. Pirates were scarce and trade was plenty, so the people were content and prosperous. I was probably the happiest child in the world. Everyone knew me so it was like having one big family. I stayed in Tamsin until I was eight; that was when the world I knew fell down around my ears. A band of men and demons come to our village looking for a girl with a birthmark in the shape of a half moon. That child was me, of course. The people of the village claimed me as their own and were unwilling to give me up. They told me to run into the nearby woods as they defended me. Being only a child, I ran, as fast as I could into the woods. I hid myself in a hollow of an old oak tree and listened to the sounds of fighting in the village. Hours passed, until the demon horde moved on, still searching for me. One came dangerously close to my hiding place, but I was not found. After they had all passed I ran back to the village. There was nothing left. The houses had been burned to the ground all save the still standing, though burned, church. The people had been tortured to death, their insides thrown everywhere and their blood smeared on the doors of the church in a message. "We will find you." Was all it said. Heartbroken and alone I traveled east, the opposite direction of the demons. I traveled for a week, living off what few berries and such that I could find. Scarcely stopping to sleep in fear of what I might find or, even worse, what might find me, I had little energy left. Finally, I quit. I could not and would not go any further. With tears streaming down my face, I lay down and waited to meet my big happy family again. Closing my eyes I sank down into despairing darkness. I do not know how long I was out but when I returned to consciousness my eyes were level with a pair of big oak green ones. Realizing my situation I shrieked and threw myself away from, what had to be, the biggest, blackest panther ever to walk the world! "H-Hello there kitty," I smiled nervously, "Niiice kitty...you aren't gonna eat me are you? Cuz' you know I'm really not that tasty. In fact I'd probably be rather stringy." Eating me, however, seemed to be the furthest thing from the panther's mind. In fact, the creature urged me up onto its back and proceeded to race into the forest. At the time I thought that I had gone nuts...the panther was TALKING to me! Not in words, but more like pictures. He said his name was Nightshade and that he had been waiting for me for a long time. We traveled for quite some distance and then came to what seemed to be a cliff face covered in vines. "Well, Nightshade, where do we go from here?" I asked. Apparently the cat thought it was on the other side of the cliff. "Umm...buddy, I hate to break it to you but I can't climb that and the last time I checked I did not have wings." The panther seemed to chuckle and then walked THROUGH the vines and cliff. Stunned, but with nothing better to do I walked in after it. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. In front of my eyes was the largest, greenest forest that I had ever seen. The trees were old and tall and houses had been built high up in them, like well...big tree houses. Everything was brightly decorated and silver adorned most of the art. As unusual as the setting was what unnerved me the most was the inhabitants. They were elves. I, of course, had heard of elves as a younger child but had dismissed them as fairy tales. Now seeing them in front of my very eyes was quite unnerving. One of them approached me. I could not tell how old he was by his face but his eyes showed the wisdom of centuries. He smiled at the panther and said, "Nightshade! I see you've finally found your Companion." I mustered as warm of a smile as I could and said, "Hello, sir, my name's Iris. If I'm any trouble I c-" Cutting my lament off with a wave of a long fingered hand he smiled, "You are not any trouble at all. My name is...long and hard for humans to pronounce...I guess I forgot." He laughed, a clear strong sound, "Just call me Silverthorn. Now as for you young lady you look like you've had quite a journey. There will be time enough for acquaintances in the morning. Tonight we will see that you are well cared for and you can tell us your story in the morning. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* AN: Okay switching back to normal for a sec here! Also "You" is referring to the G-Boys cuz the story is being told to them and I didn't want to bother with all of the quotes! ~*~*~*~*~*~* Stretching her shoulders Iris finished, "My story gets a bit garbled here so I think Rose should tell her half." "Wait," Duo interrupted, "You were an orphan?" "Yeah." Iris looked Duo in the eyes, "Why do you want to know?" "I'll tell you later." Duo grinned, "Besides! I want to know the rest of your story." "Alright," Rose took a deep breath, "Here goes..." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* (Rose) @---- I, like Iris, was an orphan. I, however, was found under a weeping willow tree near the City of Elves. Silverthorn took the role as my caretaker and I was raised as an elven child would be. I was taught the art of magic and learned to respect and know the land. I learned the legends and was taught the ways of the elven race. Even though I had never seen a human I knew that I was one. I had read about them in my books and I seemed to fit the description. Besides, I was quite unusual for an elf. I had a birthmark in the shape of a half moon on my right arm, I grew very quickly and was taller, though not by much, and stockier than my elven brethren. Also, I was chosen to be a Companion. That in itself was odd but the really surprising thing was that my Companion was the alpha-male of the one and only pack of magical wolves and had gone centuries (AN:They're magical wolves ok? So sue me! It's my story anyway! ~_^!) without ever taking a Companion, though the rest of the pack, younger than him, had a long time ago. As if my life wasn't strange enough, for a human girl raised by elves, Chosen at the age of eight by ancient magical wolf, I soon met my first human. A week after Starcircle, my Companion, Chose me my father told me of a prophecy he had been having since he found me. "There is an ancient beast in this forest. His name is Nightshade. Like your Companion he has gone for centuries without Choosing. Soon he will meet a human girl that will melt his cold heart and he will bring her here to be taught how to use her magic. That girl, Rose, is your twin. You are not identical. According to the prophesy you look as different as night and day. Upon meeting, something will happen and history will be changed forever, though my vision gets foggy there." I was, of course, nervous. Who wouldn't be? I was about to meet my twin HUMAN sister and change the course of history for goodness sakes! But I had no time to be nervous. That evening she showed up. Her name was Iris. My father greeted her and saw that she was tended in our home. In the morning the girl awoke and introduced herself with a smile. "Hello!" Iris smiled, "My name's Iris if you didn't know, though I think your father already told you. He filled me in on the prophesy." I had never met anyone so CHEERFUL, "Nice to meet you too." I have to admit that I wasn't very impressed with her at first, "So I guess we're twins." "Yup!" Yet another grin beamed across the girl's face, "And since were gonna be sisters we have to friends! Lets shake on it!" She extended her right hand out to me and I noticed something, "Hey! We have a matching birthmark. That's odd..." Grinning Iris shook off my suspicion and clasped my hand warmly. Hot searing pain lanced through my right arm and I wailed. My mind and body keened in agony as, it seemed my knowledge was going out and hers going in. After what seemed like hours, but was only seconds we took our hands apart. It was amazing! I knew everything about her, and I suspected she knew me. Every lesson she had learned in life was embedded in my memory. Looking down at my right hand I saw that my birthmark had changed to white circle, a full moon, while Iris' had changed to a black circle, a new moon. "Wow..." I sat down, overwhelmed. "No kidding," Iris' ever-present smile was gone and she had gone white, "Magic...wow...so it isn't just fairy tales...great...first elves now magic...how do I get myself into these situations?" To cut the small talk, basically Iris and I now pretty much shared a brain. We had to talk like normal people of course, we had a mind link to our Companions but not to our twin. Instead it was a feeling like someone was 'there'. To top it all off she had full knowledge of all of my magic learning and was as capable as I was. ^Great,^ I thought, ^I learn magic my whole life and she learns it all in less than a minute!^ Together we spent the next seven years of our lives. We had finished our training and both excelled in the field of magic. Life couldn't have been any better, so naturally, it got worse...much worse. Apparently Iris' demon horde finally managed to locate her. The elves told us to run and run we did. I regret it to this day. If we had stayed the elves might have won. Though the Elders wouldn't admit it, two human girls had surpassed the elven standards for magic in only fifteen years. In their minds they knew that we truly were the children of prophesy, destined to free the world of the Demon Wyrm's tyranny. You see, we did not know, but most of the world was ruled by a cruel demon. Our small chunk of the world had been left unconquered because it was 'worthless' . In fact, until Iris and I showed up, the elves had managed to hide themselves from the Demon Wyrm and his army. Safe from harm the people in this corner of the world had no fear of the Demon Army. We destroyed all of that. The Demon Wyrm wanted us because we would guard the world and help the Chosen Ones, the Children of Destiny destroy him. As we fled from the village the elven people, with their dieing breath gave us the knowledge and agelessness of the elves. Iris and I learned then of the Demon Wyrm's iron rule and we vowed to avenge both my village and the remainder of the elven race. We traveled and soon found the village that you came across. It was whole at the time and we learned about the Keepers of Legend in the village and how they planned to bring you here to save both our worlds. We could not aid them in bringing you here but we promised to guard and keep you safe at all costs. Their efforts were discovered by the Wyrm's Five, the Demonesses that have been trying to kill you. They destroyed the village and planned to do away with you themselves. In order to overcome you they had to bring you here. They had planned to kill you in a demon-dream but we interfered and freed you of your nightmares. We filled the cottage in the woods and healed Trowa while you all slept and supplied you with the magical items of legend that were assigned to you. We watched you, not showing ourselves, but being prepared to help if necessary. The rest, you all should know by now... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "So there you have it." Rose sighed and scratched her Companion behind one large ear. "I hope, " Iris seemed crestfallen, "That we haven't disappointed you." Quatre smiled kindly, "Why would we be disappointed?" Iris was puzzled, "Why shouldn't you be? Your Guardians have less power than you do and we're almost as unfamiliar with this part of the world as you are! We were supposed to save your lives, not the other way around!" "Hey!" Duo grinned, "You saved us first! We were just payin' back the favor. Besides," his smile turned sinister, "It's not every day that a guy gets to travel with a couple of babes like you two!" Iris grinned, her white teeth exposed, "So I guess I can take that as a 'yes'?" And so the merry band of Chosen gained a couple members and a lot of knowledge. But would it be enough? *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
AN: Well that's it for chapter seven! Wow! Seven pages! Phew! I hope it wasn't too confusing. Oh and a Wyvern is like a dragon with no fire or wings but has poison. In this case the Wyvern had the power of lightning magic as well. Also a Wyvern is smaller than a dragon. Think a little bigger than a Clydesdale. Okaly dokaly? Allrighty then! Questions and comments welcome at hyeperbubchick@hotmail.com No Yaoi or shonen-ai in any of my fiction as usual. The next chapter will be coming ASAP but right now I am going off to bed! This is your Authoress saying 'Viva La Yoga' and 'May the Shwartz be with you'! 


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing...Do I look rich to you?! Of course not Not rich + Writes disclaimers = I don't own Gundam Wing! I leave the hard jobs like that to people with money! ///^.^! Oh! And as always, if you want to use my work, ask me first and give me some credit! Please!?!?!?!  
  
AN: Okay, here goes. I have been on vacation for a couple of weeks visiting my relatives in Canada. Yes *Dramatic Gasp* I am Canadian. So is Tom Green...coincidence? I think not! Muahahahahahaha-eh! Anyhoo, Enjoy! Reflections Chapter eight: Not As It Seems  
  
They found the castle about an hour later. Floating in the sky it was made of black obsidian and the gates held the dull gleam of onyx. No guards walked the walls, in a show of power. You see, trusting in his magical guards, the Demon Wyrm kept no physical guards. If one could get through his magical barriers, a live guard would be of no use. As the team of would-be demon slayers got into sight of the castle, the wails of the dead screamed their way into existence. Their yowling shrieks, not truly physical in nature, pierced the heart instead of the ear. Bravely, they marched on, knowing that they could not turn back. Nor would they for any cost. The closer they were to the castle the louder and more agonized the screams became. Finally Iris got fed up with it and cast a ward to soften the keening of the lost souls. Quatre looked at her after she finished the strange words and hand gestures (AN: The G-Boys don't have to use the words and stuff cuz their the chosen ones but everybody else has to...poor them.) and asked, "If you don't mind be asking, Iris, what did you do?" Iris panted and gave a weary smile, "I cast a ward to hold the ghosts or whatever the hell those things are off but I don't know how long I can hold it." Duo looked puzzled, "Why doesn't Rose help you? You can both use magic right?" Rose nodded and said, "Yes we both can use magic but we have our differences in the area of spirit magic." She made a helpless gesture, "Iris has power over the dead and I can control life...to an extent. I think it has to do with our birthmarks. I have the light one and Iris has the dark one. Life and death." "Whatever," Iris was getting impatient, "Lets just hurry and get on with it. I don't know how long I'm gonna last." And so they continued on until they reached their destination, just below the castle. Suddenly, the wailing stopped, not just softer, but all together. It was just silent. Sighing, Iris dropped her shield and breathlessly sat down under the 'shade' of an old dead tree. Not that shade mattered much here anyway; both above and below the branches of the dead oaks there was nothing but an eerie "Grayness" that was both light and not light at the same time. No plants grew here. The soil was cold, dry, and, most of all, barren. The remnants of an old bird's nest sat high in one of the dead tree's branches in a cruel mockery of the once thriving forest. "Phew!" She exclaimed, "Boy am I glad that's over! Right guys? Guys?!" Looking around she found her comrades just standing there staring into space, "Ok guys, nice joke! Ha, ha I'm laughing...You're not joking are you? Crap." Iris walked around looking into the faces of her comrades. Their eyes were still open and had a dreamlike quality, as if each one had fallen asleep with their eyes open, one under each tree. Not to say, though, that their faces were emotionless, oh no. All of them had some distinct emotion playing on their travel worn features. Quatre had a happy grin on his face, like a kid in a candy store, while Heero had a look of astounding and utter peace on his face, sheer joy contrasting with his empty eyes. Shuddering Iris turned to Duo, hoping for a less tormenting expression. He had on this sheepish grin, like a little boy who got caught snatching a cookie just before dinner. Like all the others', his violet-blue orbs were as detached and cool as the eye of a storm; a calm that only promised trouble to come. Wufei had this big happy smile on his face. You know, the kind of look a guy gets when he pictures himself and his hubby sitting on a park bench growing old together; the same look to which all men caught with it have the same rule: deny, deny, deny. Add that to the blank eyes and the Chinese pilot looked like some grisly doll, its face etched by some poor jaded soul. Rose had on a happy grin that Iris had only caught her wearing a handful of times in her lifetime. But Trowa...he was different...Trowa was just blank, like some poor soul that time forgot. On top of it all was this ghastly veneer of bitter omission that made Iris, despite the utter stupidity of the action, want to give him a hug and a stuffed animal. ^Okay, this is bad,^ she thought to herself, ^What would Rose do in this situation...^ "I got it!" Iris exclaimed and promptly walked over to Wufei, "Snap out of it!" *Slap* Wufei didn't even react to being smacked across the face and all that Iris got for her efforts was a sore hand and yet another glimpse of that silly, love struck grin. ^Owie. Okay scrap that idea...Wait! How come this doesn't affect me? Oh I know! It has to do with the dead souls. They aren't really gone they just don't affect me!! All right! Who's a genius? I'm a genius! Oh yeah! But I will have to save the victory dance for later...I still don't know what's wrong with them.^ ^"Hey Iris, I got some news for ya."^ Nightshade popped into her thoughts with an irritated snarl, ^"According to what Starcircle tells me, your comrades are being ensorcelled. The spirits are trying to lure them into death with their own hopes and memories, like Sirens do to sailors, without the singing of course. All save Trowa...I guess he never had someone he loved die on him...at least, not one he knew. I think they're just toying with him and are gonna kill him last. Cruel bastards. "^ ^Shit. If I don't get to them soon I'm gonna lose them!^ Iris thought, ^Okay...don't panic...there has got to be something that I can do...^ she scanned her memory for a ward to fend off the lost souls before they trapped her friends. ^I suppose that will work...it'll be difficult and I might run out of energy and pass out...this is one place that I don't want to be unconscious in but I don't have much of a choice. Man, I hope this works.^ Iris sat in the Locust position on the cold earth and brought her hands, palms out to shoulder level. Closing her eyes, she concentrated and then began to speak in the language of the Elves. "Spirit of Magic, heart of the Ancients, grant me Voice." She raised her hands above her head, palms up, "Soul of Knowledge, Ears of the Ancients, hear my Plea." As a cool mist began to form around her, Iris opened her eyes and brought her hands in front of her again, but this time entwined together. She began to chant the ancient words of magic, swaying from side to side, as if to some unheard melody. Nightshade padded over to her right and sat near his Companion. Iris continued chanting and swaying until, several minutes later she stopped, leaving a chill silence hanging in the air. She just sat there, unblinking, when she suddenly cocked her head up to the sky. The moon that had started out as a half moon was now new, the only trace of its existence was a blank spot in the stars. Eyes fixed with almost ravenous attention to the moon she shrieked. At her right, Nightshade added his own bone-chilling scream. The Lost Souls whirled around the sorceress, making the tall girl seem small and insignificant. The Souls closed in on what they thought was easy prey. Iris' face split into a frigid grin that the North winds would have envied and her moss colored eyes turned a cool blood red. Pricking her thumb Iris held her hand out to the creatures of the night. Swarming to the fresh blood, twisted maws wide in anticipation of a bloody meal, the Souls were drawn close and Iris struck. A viscous fog filled the clearing, pulling at the Souls corporeal plane and tugging at what remained of their being. The Lost Souls shrieked in otherworldly anguish as their physical substance melted away. The new moon slowly turned red and then back to a normal ivory crescent. The girl's eyes changed back to normal and flickered shut. Iris managed a faint smile and then passed out under the chill sky, Nightshade at her side. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Trowa awoke to the sounds of sobbing. Rubbing unusually dry eyes he focused on the wretched tableau that reared its ugly head before him. His comrades lay on the ground, all in various stages of waking, all save Rose. She sat sobbing next to the still form of Nightshade. The great panther's stomach had been torn wide open, causing blood and other darker fluids to make a macabre mud of the chill clearing. Trowa could make out no movement of the beast's chest and no more blood flowed, indicating no pulse as well. Nightshade, mystical beast of the forest and guardian of all therein, was dead. To make matters worse, there seemed to be not a trace of his Chosen, save a lock of soft brown hair matted with blood and tears. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ^"Iris"^ A voice broke through waters dark and warm as blood, ^"Iris, wake up."^ Iris stirred weakly, "Go 'way..." She muttered thickly, "Lemme sleep..." ^"Iris"^ Whoever owned the voice was persistent, ^"Iris, you have to get up now. There is work to be done."^ Iris, groggy with despair and pain, was beginning to become just a wee bit peeved at this mysterious voice, "mmm...Dammit...lemme 'lone" she tried to roll over and found that she was unable to move her wrists. ^Oh well...^ She thought vacantly, ^Not like I'm going anywhere anyway...^ Iris was just drifting off again when, ^"Iris, will you at least listen?"^ "right...fine...whacha want..." Iris gave up trying to sleep for the moment and listened to the strange voice. ^"Iris, you must wake up! You are in the chambers of the Demon Wyrm!"^ "So?" Iris snapped bitterly, "Let him kill me! What do I have left? My Companion is dead, my sister and my friends are lost to me! Why go on?!" ^"Iris, you mustn't panic,"^ the voice remained calm, ^"If you sink into that darkness or panic you will be lost. Your friends are not dead-"^ ^"And my companion is dead. Therefore my magic is weak and useless to anyone." Iris shook her head. ^"Not quite Iris. A Companion does enhance your power but not in the way most think. You see your Companion helps you progress like a teacher and mentor, nothing more."^ The voice held a smile, ^" I must go now. If I stay longer I will be caught and all is lost."^ "Wait, who are you? You sound familiar." Iris asked. The voice chuckled in a fatherly way, "As long as the stars shine in the night sky there will be hope."^ (An: answer to my little reading comprehension puzzle is at my author's notes at the end. ///^.^!) Iris allowed herself a small smile and waited in silence, nursing the aches and pains that accompanied consciousness. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ They now not-so-merry band of would-be demon slayers stood, minus two, before a new grave. At its top stood a headstone of polished dark marble, compliments of a now winded Trowa. The epitaph was simple; "Nightshade" was surrounded by a carving of the plant what was his namesake. Rose turned toward the castle, wiping a stray tear from one blue eye. "We must leave soon. Iris is still alive and in there, as well as those we have come this far to defeat." The little woman gave the boys a stern look, "If any of you wish to turn back do so now." Duo grinned, "What, and miss out on the lovely scenery? Not on your life babe!" he turned to the other boys, "Right guys?" "I would never leave a woman in danger or a powerful demon left unvanquished." Wufei loosened Kizoku in its sheath, a cool gleam running in both sword and eye from the moonlight, and perhaps something more. Quatre allowed a small wan smile, "We haven't traveled this far for nothing, right Trowa?" "Yeah, I'll go too," Trowa turned toward Heero, "How about you Heero?" "It's the only way to get back home so I have no choice." Though his words seemed cold and detached, Rose knew that even if she could have brought him back without slaying the Demon Wyrm he still would have helped out. Not that Heero would ever admit to it. There was a long silence between the comrades. Finally, uncomfortable in the sudden tense silence Duo wondered aloud, "What now?" Rose looked at the braided boy for a second, and then responded, "We go inside the castle, duh." Duo continued undaunted, "Yeah, I can see that but how do we get up there? Isn't that kind of important?" "I have an idea." Quatre looked up at the castle in thought, "I suppose I could give everyone a boost up there." Rose nodded, her eyes still raw from crying, "Sounds like a plan. What do you need us to do Quatre?" Quatre turned to face the group and said, "All right, get in a circle around me and hold hands." The group got into a circle with Quatre and Starcircle in the middle. "What now Quatre?" Wufei asked. "Simple," Quatre closed his eyes and concentrated, "Hold on tight." With that the group levitated about an inch off the ground and then began to spin, a small tornado forming around them. Quatre and Starcircle floated on a bit of thickened air in the center as they flew up into the sky, spinning like a top. *~*~*~*~*~ Wufei waved to the others to move forward. The group had been playing this deadly game of cat and mouse for hours. One of them would go ahead of the rest, disarm what traps he could find and then signal to his or her companions to move up. Each member of the band of would-be demon slayers was bleeding in one place or another, and their clothing was in dire need of patching due to the wear and tear of crawling and dodging. Finally they came to a large room, a drastic change to the twisting, cloying, and claustrophobic labyrinth of tunnels that lay behind them. Not to say that the chamber that loomed before them was very welcoming or for that matter, welcome at all. It, for lack of a better term, was a bleeding hall of death. And by bleeding I mean literally bleeding. There was a pool of blood in the center that fed to the walls so blood constantly flowed, making the room seem to bleed. As if it wasn't gory enough all of the furniture in the room was made of human bones. Chandeliers made of skulls and arm bones hung above a dining table complete with macabre chairs, plates, glasses, bowls, and 'silverware' (though bone-ware would be a more fitting term). As grisly as the room was, the attendants were much more terrifying. Each of the Five Demonesses sat at a bony chair drinking what Wufei fervently hoped was wine. Amber greeted them all with a chilling gaze and a toothy grin that seemed more like a grimace. Stalking forward the demon spoke "You seem disappointed. Do you not like our feast?" Amber's pupils spiraled like those of a bird as they homed in on Trowa, "Perhaps that is because you have not seem the main course." Soulblaze stood, crimson snakeskin dress slithering and hissing as she stood and spoke, "We went through a lot of trouble to prepare this for you all, you know." she slinked around the table, red hair glittering in the firelight from the one lone bone-framed fireplace, "After all it is soooo hard to find such a flower in the middle of a wasteland." Starbreeze waved a hand causing her long blond hair to shift as a large covered platter floated down to the center of the table. She laughed cruelly but said nothing as Skyjolt strode over to the center of the large table, one clawed hand caressing the platter's skull handle. "Are you curious, little ones?" The Demoness of Energy hissed, "Do you want to know what is under here? We might just make you earn it-" "IT'S YOUR PRETTY LITTLE FLOWER GIRL!!!!!" Shellscream interrupted her elder sister, unable to take the suspense any longer, "Oops...um...hehe...I mean...even IF it was your pretty little flower girl friend...which it might or might not be...um...you'd have to earn it! Yeah that's it! You-" *Smack* "OOOOOOWWW! Sky! Why'd you have to go and do that? *Sniffle* owie...*WAAAAAAH*" "So," Starbreeze finally spoke, interrupting her little sister's lament, "The cat is out of the bag, so to speak." She lifted the lid on the platter to reveal Iris bound and gagged on the large tray. Her eyes were surprisingly calm and clear for someone who was covered in the blood of her Companion, tied up on a platter surrounded by demons in a bloody hall of death. "IRIS!" Rose darted forward only to be caught by Wufei. The Chinese boy shook his head and signaled for her to wait. At her side, Starcircle growled low in his chest but remained rooted in place. "Does this mean you don't like our feast?" Amber's eyes flashed red, a bloody tear slipping down her cheek in cruel mockery of heartache, "Then perhaps you'll like dessert!" On 'dessert' the Demonesses raised their hands opening trap doors plummeting the would-be demon slayers into darkness once again. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Rose floated on the edge of waking and slowly opened her eyes. She was being carried down a hallway by not-so-gentle hands toward two large oak, bloodstained doors with large ivory doorknockers each with a human skull inside each ring. The hallway was lit by the occasional torch and incense burners were placed randomly along the hall sending off smoke that smelled of death and gore. The doors opened with the rasping creak of gnashing teeth revealing a room with a large stone fountain in the center. The fountain consisted of a small pool filled with blood, a gargoyle in its center. The blood came out of the stone creature's eyes, making it cry blood. The walls were hung with torches and there was a throne made of onyx and adorned with black pearls. Sitting in the throne was none other than the Demon Wyrm himself and chained by his side was Rose's dear sister Iris, looking calm and unruffled. "Do come in dear one." The vile creature purred, "I have been waiting so long for you to come home." The Spirit hands that held Rose let her go. ^What do I do? I have waited so very long for this moment, to see this demon face to face but without the boys, the Chosen ones, how can we win?^ Hoping for reassurance Rose looked to her dear sister. A look of understanding crossed between Iris and Rose and suddenly Rose knew what to do. No. She didn't 'know'. Know was to weak of a word. It was more like she sensed what to do in her heart. She knew what she and Iris had been born to do. She walked over to the Demon Wyrm calmly and said, "Yes father, we're all together. As it should be." Rose held the Demon Wyrm's right hand in one of her own just as Iris grabbed his left. A high keening moan split the air as the spirits of all the Demon had killed filled the room. Rose's eyes became all ice blue as she said in a calm voice that carried, like magic, above the wail of the Demon's former servants, "We are all. We are the Earth, Sky and Water." Iris stood, the whites of her eyes fading away, and spoke in a voice that could be heard for miles but did not hold a tone of strain, "We are nothing. We are the Fire, Lightning, and Spirit." The Demon Wyrm, sensing his plight, struggled against the grips of the two girls who had to be less than half his size but to no avail. The hands of the pair held the strength of every warrior that had ever lived and endured with the steadfastness of the ancients. "You do not know what you are doing!" he roared, "Stop this at once! Would you go as far as to kill your own father?" The girls did not seem to be impressed. "We give life." Rose's eyes rolled back into her head but still she stood grasp not faltering in the least. "And we take it away." Iris finished the incantation and the word shattered before her now sightless eyes. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ An: The answer to my puzzle is revealed in chapter six. Iris remembers the words of her mentor and father figure Father Mike "As long as the stars shine in the night sky there will be hope." So naturally the mysterious voice is the spirit of Father Mike. Okay, this chapter took me !FOREVER! to finish cuz I got a MAJOR writer's block. BUT I DID IT! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO! I finished my first fic! Don't worry I won't leave ya hangin'! I am writing an epilogue! Wow! I am sooo happy! *Grabs Chibi- Trowa and does the happy dance* Any Questions and comments at hyeperbubchick@hotmail.com. All right! This is your authoress saying live, love, and don't drink cough syrup!  
  
"The little creatures of nature...they don't know they're ugly! That's very funny! A fly marrying a bumblebee...I told ya I'd shoot! But you didn't believe me! Why didn't you believe me?!" -'Ren and Stimpy's' very own 'Happy Happy Joy Joy' song- 


	9. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not won Gundam Wing and I make no money off of this fic. An: I just hate it when authors leave me hanging so I won't do the same thing to you! This epilogue is basically here to answer all Questions and shrikes that you might have! Okaly dokaly let's get on with it. --Kiss me while I'm still alive. Kill me while I kiss the sky...Freedom carries Sacrifice. Remember when this was my life?-- -Three Doors Down 'Life of My Own'-  
  
Reflections Epilogue: Friends, Family, and Forgetfulness  
  
Once again Trowa woke up to the sound of birdsong and once again, his comrades lay sleeping at his side. But it was different this time; the birds that sang were not little perching birds. They were two giant birds of prey, each the size of a Labrador retriever. One was jet black, seeming to draw the heat and light from the very air and the other was gold, giving the heat and light back to the land. He laughed, "Hello Iris, Rose. I guess you two vanquished him." Around him the other boys had awakened each fixing their eyes on the strange avian sight before them. Iris spoke, black beak opening, "Yess. We destrrroyed him, but at a prrrice." the great bird's voice died off Rose continued for her sister, "We had to give ourr livess to ssave thiss worrld. We arre herre forr the time being but we have verry little time left." A chorus of 'What's' 'Whys' and the like could be heard from the G-Boys, all save Duo who was, for probably the first and last time in his life, struck speechless. Iris' eyes held a smile, "Don't worry, we can still get you home." Quatre spoke up, blue eyes gleaming, "I think I speak for all of us when I day that's not the main reason we're worried. Why must you leave?" Rose tilted her golden head, sunlight reflecting off of her feathers, "It is strange. Iris and I did not even know until the last moment." She paused, taking time to preen a wing feather, "You see, in a way, the Demon Wyrm was our father. We were spawned of his excess energy, becoming a part of him. He tried to kill us at a young age, before our powers truly set in, and he made his demonesses to destroy us. He could not kill us by his own hands so they did his dirty work. Shellscream, the youngest and most foolish of the group was given the 'menial' task of disposing of us but when she held the knives above us she could not bear to do us direct harm. We were left in the area that is now the magical forest where the elves used to live. Rose and I were found by forest spirits and taken to separate homes." "Uh, huh." Iris continued, winking one large eyelid, "I guess we were pretty lucky that he didn't send any of the others out to get us. But anyway, we were the two halves of his power, life and death. Basically we over flowed him with power so his own essence destroyed him. In fact, it turns out that YOU guys were the real powerful Guardians and WE were the less powerful but more significant Chosen ones. Somebody must have botched a story telling." A cloud shifted in the sky and a circle of light fell upon the two great birds. Rose eyed her sister, "It's time to go now Iris." "*Sigh* I know...but I have so much to to!" Iris said melodramatically. Rose glared daggers at her, "Like WHAT!?" Iris turned to her and said calmly, "I...never saw the ocean!" "YOU LIVED IN A SEASIDE TOWN!!!!!!!!" Duo could've sworn Iris bird beak grinned, "Yeah, I know but I just HAD to ruin the big, overemotional, over-sentimental, weepy exit you had planned!" Still arguing the pair flew into the midday sky and were never seen again on this side of Heaven. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Wufei was eating cornflakes and reading the paper when Duo burst into the room. "You guys will NOT believe the dream I had!" He said exuberantly. Wufei sneered over his newspaper at the braided boy who had so rudely interrupted his breakfast, "It must have been a LONG one if you managed to sleep this late." Undaunted Duo continued his story to the rest of the boys at the table, "Oh it was so COOL! There was this sorceress chick who could control dead and stuff...she was kinda hot...anyway there was this short girl too...Wufei she seems like your type...tough. Oh and we all had magic and we had to kill this Demon thingie...and why are you all staring at me like that?! What? It's not like you guys have never had a dream before...geez. Where do I find these people honestl-" "MAXWELL!" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: So that's it. Sniff...my first fic! KODAK MOMENT!!!!!!!!! Any final QandC at hyeperbubchick@hotmail.com. Thank you so much for sticking with my very first fic...you don't know how much it means to me. Anyway I would be even MORE happy if you would start reading my next fic "Night Crusades" It's WAAAAAAY different from this fic so don't worry bout repetition.  
  
This is your authoress wailing incoherently "THEY LOVE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY REALLY LOVE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 


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